The Boys of Summer: 12 summer movies and the hotties that star in them

Ah, summer. It's the time for having friends over in the back yard for some lemonade and barbecue, catching a game at the ballpark and meeting up at the local megaplex to catch the latest blockbuster film. 

Given that today is also the last day to cast your votes for the AfterElton Hot 100, we thought we'd provide you with a handy list of summer's box office hunks for inspiration.

Enjoy! 

Robert Downey Jr.
in Iron Man (In theatres now)

As a Marvel comics reader, I was never a big fan of Tony Stark (except for that issue of The Avengers where The Molecule Man destroyed his power armor and Tony spends the issue wearing only a blazer wrapped around his waist), but Robert Downey Jr. has me reconsidering. He certainly makes Tony Stark look good.

Emile Hirsch and Matthew Fox
in Speed Racer (In theatres now)

When I first heard that the Wachowskis were adapting anime classic Speed Racer for the big screen, my first reaction was my standard "remake shrug". I started paying attention, however, when I heard that Hirsh had been cast as the titular character; there's something about his features that make him perfect for playing a classic anime hero. Speed Racer also stars Matthew Fox (who came in at number 46 in our Hot 100 last year) who, sadly, will be covering his face up as Racer X. Still, you can still easily identify him by his strong jaw.

Ben Barnes
in Prince Caspian (Opens May 16)

When I read the Narnia books as a kid, I always imagined Prince Caspian as looking like one of those stiff and stern-faced guys from the Prince Valliant comics I tried to follow every Sunday. Well, the posters for the new Prince Caspian film certainly changed that. Barnes is a new name to most of us, having been in only a few other films, but I suspect we'll be hearing his name a lot, judging from the way I can't help but stop and stare every time I see a Prince Caspian poster.

Shia LaBoeuf and Harrison Ford
in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Opens May 23)

At some point I blinked and that kid from Holes suddenly became a good-looking young man able to pull a film to the top of the box office (too bad one of those films was Transformers). Now he's getting a shot at the Indiana Jones torch by playing the sidekick in the latest Indy film. Shia's not the only hottie in the film, of course, as Harrison Ford has aged well and is still mighty nice to watch.

David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Jason Lewis and Chris Noth
in Sex and the City: The Movie (Opens May 30)

When Sex and the City was one of the main reasons to have an HBO subscription, the show was a hot topic among gay men who liked to argue whether they were more like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha. When the series ended, all four of the SatC ladies had found a guy they could love for the long term. Since each guy represents a different type, both physically and in personality, that raises a new question: which boyfrind could you see yourself ending up with? Laid back regular guy Steve (Eigenberg)? Career-minded and emotionally guarded Mr. Big (Noth)? Sweet but sometimes schlubby Harry (Handler)? Hunky and supportive Smith (Lewis)?

Ed Norton
in The Incredible Hulk (Opens June 13)

Norton's got big shoes to fill, having taken a character we recently saw in the form of Eric Bana (number 44 on last year's Hot 100), who did a solid job as Bruce Banner in a film widely considered a bomb. Still, role of angst-ridden scientist Bruce Banner seems like an apt choice for Norton, who frequently succeeds in roles that challenge his talents. Of course, it helps that Robert Downey Jr. will be upping this Hulk's sexiness by reprising his role as Tony Stark, A.K.A. Iron Man.

James McAvoy
in Wanted (Opens June 27)

McAvoy's been on our radar for a few years now, delivering complicated performances on the critically praised drama Shameless and in the Oscar-winning Last King of Scotland. In Wanted, we finally get to see the handsome actor play an action hero: McAvoy plays a cubicle jockey who is drawn into an organization of assassins by Angelina Jolie. It probably sums up his versatility that, looking at the trailers for Wanted, he brings up a different kind of hotness as both an office worker living a life of quiet desperation and as a self-assured, gun-wielding danger.

Will Smith
in Hancock (Opens July 2)

Smith's admirers might find Handcock frustrating at first, since playing an unpopular, hard-on-his-luck, homeless superhero (one who comically causes almost as much trouble as he stops) has Smith in costumes that don't make him look his best. Still, if anyone can make Hancock look good when he's not taking care of himself, it's Will Smith ... and eventually filmgoers get rewarded with the sight of Smith in tight leather. Plus, gay fave Jason Bateman is the guy who helps Handcock go from wearing layers to form-fitting leather.

Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, and Aaron Eckhart  

in The Dark Knight (Opens July 18)

It's a safe bet that gay film fans will be lining up to see the next Batman movie. Not only does it have Bale (number 11 in last year's Hot 100) returning to the role of the Caped Crusader, but it's also going to be the last major role we'll see Legder (who landed at number 20 in last year's Hot 100) play. Ledger certainly made a mark on gay audiences when he romanced Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain and his sudden death certainly hit us hard, and hopefully seeing him in one last masterful performance will help ease that blow.

Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, and Dominic Cooper 
in Mamma Mia! (Opens July 18)

Not only does this adaptation of the very popular musical have an irresistable trailer, it also has some very good-looking leading men in the cast. Plus, if I remember the stage show correctly, we also get a whole bunch of shirtless hunks dancing on the beach to "Voulez-Vous".

David Duchovny
in The X-Files: I Want to Believe (Opens July 18)

Ah, I still remember the days when The X-Files was all the rage and Duchovny and his co-star Gillian Anderson were the thinking fan's pin-ups. Well, it's been fifteen years since The X-Files debuted and it looks like both stars still have it, if publicity stills for the new X-Files movie are any measure. And to boost the sci-fi stud factor, the movie also includes Battlestar Galactica fave Callum Keith Rennie (who'll always be the sex-obsessed guy from Last Night for me).

Brendan Fraser and Jet Li
in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Opens August 1)

The latest Mummy film has Fraser's dashing adventurer battling a cursed Chinese mummy, played by Li. There's no trailer out for this one yet, but Li's presence has me hopeful that we'll get some of high-flying acrobatics from the action star. Russel Wong (otherwise known as the reason I refused to watch Xena for the first couple seasons) adds to this Mummy movie's hunky factor, and hopefully he'll get some good screen time.