• The novel Angels & Demons was published in 2000 and followed only in 2003 by the mega-bestselling sequel The Da Vinci Code.But the order was reversed for the film adaptations: the film of The Da Vinci Code was released in 2006 and the film of Angels & Demons only in 2009.
• In May, Dan Brown released Inferno, the fourth book in his Robert Langdon series, and now, as these things go, it is in development to become a movie. Sony, who released The Da Vinci Code.

• Da Vinci Code Series Movies

Box Office History for Da Vinci Code Movies. ← See all franchises. Summary; Video; News; Acting Credits; Technical Credits.

The Robert Langdon films are a series of American mysterythriller movies directed by Ron Howard. The films focus on Robert Langdon, a fictional character appearing in the Robert Langdon series of novels by author Dan Brown. The film series has a different chronological order than the novels, and consists of The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009) and Inferno (2016). The series has grossed almost $1.5 billion worldwide.

• 2Films
• 3Incomplete adaptation
• 6Reception
• 7Difference between novels and films

Background[edit]

Dan Brown’s novels about Professor Robert Langdon: Angels & Demons (2000), The Da Vinci Code (2003), and Inferno (2013), quickly became international bestsellers, and were soon adapted into films by Columbia Pictures with Ron Howard directing and producing, and Tom Hanks portraying Langdon.

Films[edit]

The Da Vinci Code (2006)[edit]

A murder inside 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.

Angels & Demons (2009)[edit]

Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon continues to work to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican.

Inferno (2016)[edit]

When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks, and together they must race across Europe against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.

Incomplete adaptation[edit]

The Lost Symbol[edit]

Da Vinci Code Series Movies

Following the worldwide successes of The Da Vinci Code in 2006^[2] and Angels & Demons in 2009,^[3] which were both based on Brown's novels, starring Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and produced and directed by Ron Howard, Columbia Pictures began production on a film adaptation of The Lost Symbol.^[4][5] Hanks and Howard were expected to return for the film adaptation of The Lost Symbol, along with the franchise's producers Brian Grazer and John Calley. Sony Pictures eventually hired three screenwriters for the project, beginning with Steven Knight^[6] and then hiring Brown himself.^[7] In March 2012, Danny Strong was also hired to collaborate on the adaptation.^[8]

According to a January 2013 article in Los Angeles Times, the final draft of the screenplay was due sometime in February, with pre-production expected to start in the mid-2013.^[9] In July 2013, Sony Pictures announced they would instead adapt Inferno for an October 14, 2016^[10] release date with Howard as director, David Koepp adapting the screenplay and Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon.^[11]

Cast and characters[edit]

Production crew[edit]

Reception[edit]

Box office performance[edit]

Critical and public response[edit]

Difference between novels and films[edit]

The Da Vinci Code[edit]

Angels & Demons[edit]

There are many differences between the novel and the film.^[22]

• In the novel, the papal conclave attracts relatively little public attention. In the wake of the huge international interest in the 2005 election of Pope Benedict XVI, this was judged to be out of date.^[23]
• The character of CERN Director Maximillian Kohler does not appear in the film.
• The Italian Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca is changed to the Irish Patrick McKenna, portrayed by Ewan McGregor.
• The Boeing X-33 that takes Langdon from the United States to Geneva and then to Rome is absent in the film.
• In the novel, Commander Olivetti is the commander of Swiss Guard, and his second in command is Captain Rocher, whereas in the film, Richter is the head of the Swiss Guard.
• In the novel, the Assassin contacts members of the BBC in order to influence how they present the story of his activities, but this does not happen in the film.
• The character Leonardo Vetra is named Silvano Bentivoglio in the film, is not related to Vittoria and his death scene is changed.
• Vittoria is a love interest for Langdon in the novel while there is no attraction present in the film.
• In the novel Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca is revealed to be the late pope's biological son, in the film he is his adoptive son.
• In the book, the assassin has Middle Eastern looks whereas in the movie he is portrayed by a Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas . In the film, he is killed by a car bomb, whereas in the book he falls from a balcony at the top of the Castel Sant Angelo and breaks his back on a pile of marble cannonballs which eventually kills him.
• In the novel, Vittoria is kidnapped, whereas in the film, she follows Langdon almost everywhere. In the book, all four preferiti are killed by the assassin and eventually the high elector, Cardinal Saverio Mortati, is elected as the new pope whereas in the film, the fourth preferito, Cardinal Baggia, is saved by Langdon and is elected the new pope. The high elector, renamed Cardinal Strauss, becomes the Camerlengo to the new pope.
• In the end, the new Camerlengo hands over Galileo's book to Langdon instead of a Swiss guard handing the 5th brand, the Illuminati diamond (which is also different in the movie and looks like two crossed keys). In the movie before the explosion Langdon doesn't get on the helicopter unlike in the book where he does and right before the explosion jumps out, barely surviving.

Inferno[edit]

• In the novel, the Inferno Virus causes sterility in one third of the human population. At the end of the novel it is revealed that the virus was released before the events of the book, as the date given in the video was when the virus would be worldwide, thus searching for its whereabouts was futile.
• In the novel, Dr. Sienna Brooks intends to prevent the virus from being released and to destroy it as she believes Governments and other organisations will use it as a weapon and at the end of the novel she is offered a position in the WHO in order to address the crisis.
• In the novel, Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey is not a former romantic interest of Robert Langdon.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abc'Robert Langdon'. Box Office Mojo. November 13, 2016.
2. ^'The Da Vinci Code'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
3. ^'Angels & Demons'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
4. ^Fleming, Michael (2009-04-20). 'Columbia moves on 'Symbol''. Variety.com. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
5. ^'The Mystery of Dan Brown'. The Guardian. London. September 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
6. ^Siegel, Tatiana (February 3, 2010). 'Columbia finds 'Symbol'; Knight to adapt third book in 'Da Vinci Code' series'. Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved February 4, 2010.
7. ^Fernandez, Jay A.; Kit, Borys (2010-12-20). 'EXCLUSIVE: Dan Brown Taking Over 'Lost Symbol' Screenplay'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved 2015-11-21.
8. ^Williams, Owen (March 2, 2012). 'New Writer For The Lost Symbol: Dan Brown 3 gets an overhaul'. Empire
9. ^Nicole Sperling (January 15, 2013). 'Dan Brown: What's the film status of his book 'The Lost Symbol'?'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
10. ^Tom Hanks' 'Inferno' Shifts Opening to 2016
11. ^'Tom Hanks And Ron Howard To Return For Next Dan Brown Movie 'Inferno'; Sony Sets December 2015 Release Date'. Deadline Hollywood. July 16, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
12. ^'The Da Vinci Code'. Box Office Mojo. October 22, 2016.
13. ^'Angels & Demons'. Box Office Mojo. October 22, 2016.
14. ^'Inferno'. Box Office Mojo. November 13, 2016.
15. ^'The Da Vinci Code'. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
16. ^'The Da Vinci Code'. Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
17. ^ ^abc'Cinemascore'. Cinemascore.com. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
18. ^'Angels & Demons'. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
19. ^'Angels & Demons'. Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
20. ^'Inferno'. Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
21. ^'Inferno'. Metacritic. CBS. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
22. ^'What's the Difference between Angels and Demons the Book and Angels and Demons the Movie'. thatwasnotinthebook.com. Retrieved 18 Oct 2013.
23. ^Hanks, Tom; interviewed by Charlie Rose (May 13, 2009). 'A conversation about the film 'Angels and Demons''. PBS television (transcript). Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.

External links[edit]

One of Hollywood’s most bankable stars and a huge favourite among cinema-goers worldwide, Tom Hanks has appeared in some of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies of all time.

One of Hollywood’s most bankable stars and a huge favourite among cinema-goers worldwide, Tom Hanks has appeared in some of the most successful and critically acclaimed movies of all time.

Among more than a dozen of his films that hold a rating of 90% or higher on the respected Rotten Tomatoes reviews aggregation website are such beloved titles as Big, Apollo 13, and all three parts of the Toy Story franchise.

With lifetime domestic takings of $4.4 billion for his films, only Harrison Ford, Samuel L Jackson and Morgan Freeman have proved bigger box office draws than the double Oscar-winning 60-year-old.

And yet a small corner of his resume, perhaps lurking darkly in tiny print on the last page, serves as a reminder that no Hollywood star can be perfect -- the critically despised The Da Vinci Code trilogy.

A full decade since he first portrayed novelist Dan Brown’s renowned Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon, Hanks made a comeback on the big screen in Inferno.

Critics have voiced surprise at his continued commitment to the franchise, given that The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons were critically hated and boast 25% and 37% ratings respectively on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s not that he hasn’t appeared in turkeys before -- The Bonfire of the Vanities, Larry Crowne and The ‘Burbs were all derided -- it’s just that when a Tom Hanks movie gets a hard time from the critics you don’t usually see him in a sequel, let alone two more films.

Shawn Robbins, a senior analyst at BoxOffice.com, points out that actors often choose to appear in films they know won’t be critical hits because of affection for the character or loyalty for the director.

“It’s probably both in this case given the well-known friendship between the two,” he told AFP.

Another factor in Hanks’ commitment to the franchise might be the fact that, regardless of what the critics think, these films are lapped up by the public.

Inferno, directed by Oscar-winning Ron Howard like its predecessors, is slated to top the North American box office this weekend, with takings expected to be somewhere around $25 million.

The Da Vinci Code remains one of the top ten hits of all time for Sony’s Columbia Pictures, raking in $758.2 million worldwide against a budget of $125 million.

The $150 million sequel, Angels and Demons, made less, grossing $486 million, but was still a commercial success by any yardstick.

Robbins also points out that while Rotten Tomatoes scores can affect the takings of some films, there is often a disconnect between what critics and audiences want from blockbusters.

“There’s a loyalty moviegoers take on when it comes to their favourite characters or franchises, and in this case it’s centered around a character with both literary and cinematic followings,” he said.

“That extends to actors and filmmakers just as well, and Mr Hanks is undoubtedly a prime example of someone that audiences simply find joy in watching.”

Although Inferno debuts this weekend in the United States, China and Japan -- three of the world’s top five box offices -- it has already been out in smaller markets, including India, and has a 21% Rotten Tomatoes rating based on 120 reviews.

“Senselessly frantic and altogether shallow, Inferno sends the Robert Langdon trilogy spiraling to a convoluted new low,” the site’s critical consensus reads.

“It’s not only the character, there are moments when it’s hard not to feel that Hanks himself is confused as well, perhaps wondering ‘What the heck am I doing in this film? Haven’t I been here before?’” Kenneth Turan writes in the Los Angeles Times.

Hanks himself provided the answer when he told journalists at a red carpet screening of the movie in Los Angeles on Tuesday why he continues to enjoy playing Robert Langdon.

His explanation, which came across as almost apologetic, sounded like the plot of one of the Robert Langdon movies.

“Listen, I get to wake up in a place like Florence and I have a little cup of coffee and I walk to work across ancient bridges, underneath the fabulous architecture down through history, run around through masterpieces of modern art -- all to save the world,” he said.

“Come on! That’s a good job!”

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First Published: Oct 28, 2016 12:21 IST