According to FilmForce, Columbia Studios has confirmed the casting of Tom Hanks in the lead role of its feature film version of The Da Vinci Code. Ron Howard will direct and produce along with partner Brian Grazer and John Calley. Akiva Goldsman penned the screenplay adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller.
Hanks will portray famed symbologist Robert Langdon who, along with French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, investigates the murder of the curator of the Louvre. They uncover hidden clues within the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci, secret societies and a long-lost religious artifact.
“Tom Hanks is one of the biggest stars in the world today,” said Calley, “He has all the intelligence, wry sophistication, everyman charm and talent required to bring this role to life and it’s hard to imagine a more perfect fit for the character of Robert Langdon, who Dan Brown created with such compelling care in his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code.”
Howard added: “The potential that exists through this collaboration of material and talent is extraordinary. Having source material as rich and popular as Dan Brown’s novel, a screenwriter with Akiva’s talent and a star of the magnitude of Tom Hanks is an embarrassment of riches. We couldn’t be more happy to be working alongside Columbia on this project.”
The Da Vinci Code filming begins next year in the U.S. and Europe for a May 19, 2006 worldwide day and date release.
Credit: Filmforce.ign.com
