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24 Frames movie quiz: Test your skills as a studio chief

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New Line’s “Valentine’s Day” doesn’t open until Friday, and yet the studio — encouraged by predictions of a $50-million-plus opening — already is developing a sequel.

It’s consistent with Hollywood’s passion for pre-awareness titles. Summer’s slate includes sequels to “Iron Man,” “Shrek” and “Toy Story.” If you count remakes, adaptations and loose reboots, the tally contains “Robin Hood,” “The A-Team” and “The Karate Kid,” among many others.

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Even when movies are not directly instigated by an existing work, studio executives, producers and agents love describing them by referencing earlier productions. It’s a shorthand made famous in “The Player,” when a fictional movie is pitched as “Out of Africa” meets “Pretty Woman.” After all, “Valentine’s Day” is “Love Actually” in L.A.

With that in mind, here’s a quiz that could foretell your future as a studio chief.

What follows are the actual talent-agency synopses and planned talent for 15 movies currently in development and production. To keep you guessing, though, we’ve added five (identified on the next page) fakes.

1. ‘Red.” An aging former spy’s (Bruce Willis) cover is blown, and he enlists his former partners to track those after him. “Space Cowboys” meets “The Bourne Identity.’

2. “The Student.” A college intern becomes involved with his boss’ wife. A teen version of “Fatal Attraction.” Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

3. “The Surrogate.” An infertile couple discovers the woman carrying their child is insane. “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” with a surrogate. Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

4. “Dewey.” A stray kitten becomes a small town library’s mascot. Starring Meryl Streep. “Marley & Me” with a cat.

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5. “Substitution.” A troubled kid bonds with his substitute teacher, only to be drawn into a murder pact. Teen version of “Strangers on a Train.”

6. ‘Bad Teacher.” A narcissistic educator (Cameron Diaz) plots an extortion scheme to pay for her breast implants. “Bad Santa” in middle school.

7. “Winter’s Discontent.” A sexually frustrated widower moves into a retirement community prowling for women. “Superbad” in a nursing home.

8. “Medieval.” “The Dirty Dozen” in the age of castles, plagues and serfs. Directed by Rob Cohen (“XXX”).

9. “Brick by Brick.” A dysfunctional family (headed by Martin Lawrence) finds itself trapped in Legoland after hours. “Night at the Museum” meets “Little Miss Sunshine.”

10. “Mr. Popper’s Penguins.” A man forms a stage act with his family of aquatic, flightless birds. “Cheaper by the Dozen” with penguins.

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11. ‘Cold Dead Hands.” A father-son backpacking trip is jeopardized by a band of survivalists. “Finding Nemo” meets “Deliverance.”

12. “The Jetsons.” A live-action version of the animated series, with Peter Segal (“Get Smart”) directing. “Parenthood” in space.

13. “Something Borrowed, Something Blue.” Four girlfriends throw a catastrophic bachelorette party for a bride (Anne Hathaway). “Sex and the City” meets “The Hangover.”

14. ‘The Art of Making Money.” A tale of a master counterfeiter (Chris Pine). “GoodFellas” meets a rural “Catch Me if You Can.”

15. “Bazooka Joe.” The bubble-gum comic hero bluffs his way into an elite college, where his hidden genius is discovered. “Ratatouille” with “Good Will Hunting.”

16. ‘Housebroken.” When a couple moves in together, their pets must learn to coexist. Talking animals in the vein of “Yours, Mine and Ours.”

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17. ‘Solo.” A 17-year-old Outward Bound boy finds himself alone on an island with a girl and her mother. “Misery” meets “Disturbia.”

18. “Bad Girls.” An Outward Bound program on an island turns bad. “Mean Girls” meets “Lord of the Flies.”

19. “Kashmir.” Mercenaries hunt for a terrorist to collect a $30-million bounty. “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” on the Pakistan border.

20. “What in Tarnation?” Spunky seniors (led by Betty White) fight to save their retirement home from greedy developers. “Home Alone” meets “Up.”

Fake movies are: 9, 11, 13, 15, 20

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