Hanks On to Crack 'The Davinci Code'

Tom Hanks to play Harvard symbologist in film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller.

By: Brad Brevet
Published: Sunday, November 14th 2004 at 5:23 PM

It is no big surprise that the popular Dan Brown novel "The Da Vinci Code," which has spent 86 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, is getting a feature film adaptation as it has been known for a while that Brian Grazer was asked to produce the pic and Ron Howard is on to direct, but a star had not yet been named… until now.

Newsweek has learned that Tom Hanks will be playing the lead role of globe-trotting scholar Robert Langdon. While Hanks history with the duo is long friendship was said to not be the reason. "Tom is an exciting actor to watch thinking," Howard told Newsweek. "We probably don't need his status from a box-office standpoint"—by now, "The Da Vinci Code" sells itself—"but he gives Langdon instant legitimacy."

While other cast members have not been announced Grazer and Howard have made it known that they plan on hiring a foreign cast to play all of the book's foreign characters. So, Sophie Neveu will be played by a French actress and for the bullish cop, Bezu Fache, Jean Reno is apparently on Grazer's shortlist.

There was early speculation that Russell Crowe and Kate Beckinsale would be on for the roles, but with the idea that corresponding foreign actors will be cast for the roles it seems now that neither of those two will be involved.

The Da Vinci Code follows a murder in the Louvre and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years — which could shake the foundations of Christianity.

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