Over the last several years, many comic book fans and movie-goers alike have seen some fantastic comic book films that have, for the most part, been very satisfying.

These fans might like to know the next few years are not likely to disappoint.

In the last few weeks, many of the major film companies that own the rights to these colorful comic characters seen on the silver screen before have been making plans from prequels to sequels and everything in between.

New actors are playing a huge role in many of these movies, as well as writers, directors, and the creators of the comic books themselves.

Just a few weeks ago there was a huge slew of news on the sequel to this past summer’s superhero film, “The Amazing Spider Man,” in which new actors were mentioned along with release dates and mentions of the new villain.

Among new actors, Shailene Woodley is set to play the role of Mary Jane Watson, and Jamie Foxx to play the new villain of the movie known as Electro, who has the power to control electricity.

There have also been rumors about a new actor to be chosen to play Peter Parker’s best friend, Harry Osborn. According to IMDB, the role is rumored to be played by Dane DeHaan.

There has also been a lot of talk about a new X-Men prequel to star the merc with a mouth, Deadpool. During an interview with Ryan Reynolds, the same actor who played Deadpool in “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” he will reprise his role and commented about a new script he had read.

Reynolds said the new movie is more true to the comics and that viewers can expect action, thrills, and breaking of the fourth wall. Reynolds also said that with the new script, the movie would have to be rated R.  For many fans out there, it will not have anything to do with that evil piece of garbage known as “X-Men Origins:Wolverine.”  Rumors have been circulating that the film should be releasing sometime next year, but fans will have to wait for more info from the film’s director/writer, Tim Miller.

There is also some news about a possible “Justice League” movie, with several other films leading up to it like Marvel’s “The Avengers.”

Some of the films to come up before it include “The Flash,” “Wonder Woman,” a Batman reboot, and a new “Green Lantern” sequel that will hopefully do better than its predecessor. But a lot of this news is vague, as there are no set release dates, directors, or writers.

Among other news, there have been talks about a new “Batman” film that will star Joseph Gordon Levitt as the Dark Knight or the vigilante known as Nightwing. But Levitt stated during an interview that he felt that “The Dark Knight” series is over.

That is probably the truth, as shown during the previews prior to “The Dark Knight Rises” the director is already working on a new project, “Man of Steel,” which is the newest Superman reboot.

Although I am not a fan of Superman, I do intend to see this movie as I am a fan of Christopher Nolan’s work.

I have been a fan of Nolan since “The Dark Knight” series and the critical and box office success of “Inception.”

I expect the writing to be far superior to that of the last Superman film, “Superman Returns.”

I   am also expecting  excellent casting. “Man of Steel” also sounds more promising because the film will finally have a different villain than  Lex Luthor, as he has appeared in nearly every Superman film ever made.

But not all of this news is necessarily good because a it is possible that a  sequel or prequel to 2009’s “Watchmen,” is in the making.

There is no official statement on whether it will be a prequel or a sequel to the first film, but knowing author Alan Moore’s stance on the film being rather critical, I can only imagine what he will have to say about this.

I remember seeing the first “Watchmen” film and seeing many problems involved with it. Some of the actors didn’t quite fit their roles as much as I would have liked, and a lot was changed from the original story and caused grief for fans of the graphic novel.

Any new  “Watchmen” movie will probably just be a huge cash grab and definitely won’t help improve the reputation that the series has.

Some of the issues that came up were the matter of how several characters would be missing in the sequel.

If it’s a prequel, then there wouldn’t necessarily be enough content for it as a portion of the film discusses the formation of the team.

This idea sounds like a worse idea than “Batman & Robin,” “Green Lantern,” and “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” all combined.

Now back to the lighter side of things, remember “Kick Ass” from 2010?

Recently, Universal Studios announced that it will be releasing a sequel to the film on June 28, 2013.

The last film was given mostly positive reviews for its gritty, Quentin Tarantino-esque take on the superhero genre, and it did surprisingly well at the box office.

The sequel is supposed to build upon the last story by adding new “superheroes” and new “supervillains,” as well as tying up loose ends left over from the last film.

Some new characters will include Colonel Stars, an ex-mafia member turned masked vigilante, and Mother Russia, an ex KGB agent who became a bodyguard for Red Mist.

I am excited for this film because the studio is bringing back most of the original cast, along with some new faces, such as Jim Carrey.

As the huge comic book geek that I am, this news makes me very excited, and I can’t wait for many of these films to release.

So in the words of one of the greatest minds in comic book history, I say in regards to the future of many of these films, “Excelsior!”