The Da Vinci Code 3 in the Works?!
Author Dan Brown (”Angels & Demons”, “Da Vinci Code”) and Doubleday Publishing have announced that the next installment of the Da Vinci Code series, “The Lost Symbol.”
No plot details were announced but the novel was in production under the title “The Solomon Key,” again features the fictional, mystery-solving Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and will reportedly focus on the mysterious Freemasons.
Five million copies of “The Lost Symbol” will be printed — the largest first print run in the history of Random House and will hit bookshelves on September 15th later this year.
In statement Brown said:
“This novel has been a strange and wonderful journey. Weaving five years of research into the story’s 12-hour time frame was an exhilarating challenge. Robert Langdon’s life clearly moves a lot faster than mine.”
“Da Vinci Code” appeared in theaters in 2006 and went on to earn over $750 million in worldwide ticket sales on a budget of $125 million. Part of the film’s success was the popularity of the book and the controversy that came with the topic. “Angels & Demons” stars Tom Hanks as Langdon, brought in to investigate threats against the Vatican. The movie premieres May 15.
You can read the official book announcement at Dan Brown’s official website.
New Angels & Demons Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Video
Two new photos from upcoming “Da Vince Code” sequel, called “Angels & Demons” has popped online. ABC also revealed a new behind-the-scenes video for the film. The video contains lots of footage from the film and a explanation of the Illuminati.
Tom Hanks will reprise his role ( Da Vinci Code) as the Harvard religious expert Robert Langdon. Ron Howard again directs the film, which is produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and John Calley. The screenplay is by David Koepp and Akiva Goldsman.
In the film Langdon discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati – the most powerful underground organization in history – he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization’s most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican’s only hope for survival. Continue Reading…
Angels & Demons Viral: Secret Message in Teaser Trailer
Two days ago, Sony released the teaser trailer for “Angels & Demons,” the followup to Dan Brown’s highly successful book/movie The Da Vinci Code.
Hidden in the trailer is an ambigram (reads the same thing upside down as upside right) of Illuminati that also figures heavily in the plot of the book/movie. Digging a little deeper, there’s actually a hidden message in the letters of the ambigram. With a few steps in Photoshop, the words “Altars of Science” is clearly visible.
It just happens that Sony owns a site with a domain name www.altarsofscience.com, which contains a video feed of a room with the word “Illuminati” written on the wall and a device that looks like a bomb. There is also a countdown set to run out on May 15th, 2009, which is the theatrical release date of “Angels & Demons.” Continue Reading…
Vatican Bans Dan Brown Film “Angels & Demons” From Rome Churches
“Angels & Demons“, the sequel to the enormously successful “The Da Vinci Code“, sees Tom Hanks reprise his role as Harvard professor Robert Langdon. This time, however, Mr Langdon is on a mission to save the Vatican from being blown up by a canister of anti-matter.
The entire film is set in Rome, and Sony Pictures applied for permission to film two key scenes inside the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria.
The plot of the book sees Mr Langdon arriving in Santa Maria della Vittoria to find a cardinal being set on fire.
The Vatican has banned the makers of a prequel to “The Da Vinci Code” from filming in its grounds or any church in Rome, describing the work as “an offence against God”.
“Angels and Demons”, the latest Dan Brown thriller to be turned into a film, includes key episodes that take place in the Vatican and Rome’s churches. Archbishop Velasio De Paolis, the head of the Vatican’s Prefecture for Economic Affairs, said that Brown had “turned the gospels upside down to poison the faith”.
“It would be unacceptable to transform churches into film sets so that his blasphemous novels can be made into films in the name of business,” he said, adding that Brown’s work “wounds common religious feelings”.
Father Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rome, said: “Normally we read the script but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough.”
Most Disappointing Movie Adaptations
The Golden Compass has been named the most disappointing movie adaptation by Entertainment Weekly.
The film, based on Philip Pullman’s fantasy novel Northern Lights, topped a list of 23 movies that didn’t match up to their parent books.
Ron Howard’s version of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code was placed second, the US remake of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch came third, Memoirs of a Geisha, based on Arthur Golden’s bestseller was fourth, and the 2005 Ray Bradbury adaptation A Sound of Thunder rounded out the top five.
Sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes and Brian De Palma’s 1990 take on Tom Wolfe’s acclaimed novel Bonfire of the Vanities also featured on the list.
The Golden Compass was a relative hit on its initial release, grossing $370 million at the worldwide box office with a production budget of $180 million. However, the film received a low 42% critical approval on the reviews rating website Rotten Tomatoes and was met with a mixed reaction from Pullman fans.
Ewan McGregor in talks for ‘Angels and Demons’
Ewan McGregor is in negotiations to join the cast of Ron Howard’s Da Vinci Code prequel Angels & Demons.Based on Dan Brown’s bestselling novel, the film centres on Tom Hanks’s Robert Langdon as he tries to stop an Illuminati plot to destroy the Vatican.
McGregor is in talks to take on the role of a Catholic Church insider who aids Langdon.
Ayelet Zurer has already been cast as the female lead.
Ron Howard will direct from Akiva Goldsman’s screenplay for a May 15, 2009 release.
‘The Oxford Murders’ – International Movie Trailer
So, in theory, the trailer for The Oxford Murders hit the web a few months ago; but unless you were fluent in Spanish, there was not a lot you were going to get out of it. Stale Popcorn has finally gotten their hands on the international trailer, and now we actually get a sense of what the hell is going on. The Oxford Murders is based on the novel of the same name by Argentinian author Guillermo Martínez. The book was published in 2003, and was a best-seller that went on to be published into over fifteen languages.
The Oxford Murders stars John Hurt and Elijah Wood as a professor and a graduate student who become involved in solving a series of gruesome murders at the legendary university. Through the course of their investigations, they discover that the murderer is committing his crimes on principles of mathematical theories. So of course, the only way to stop the murders is to figure out the ‘equations’ before the killer strikes again. I guess you could consider it kind of like The Da Vinci Code, but with way more trigonometry. Continue Reading…
