The Feel-Good Guide to Sports, Travel, Shopping & Entertainment

Main Pop Culture Movies Da Vince Code

also see -> Da Vinci Code Clues, Symbols & Meanings     

Da Vinci Code, The Movie

Tom Hanks is cast in the lead role of the famed symbologist Robert Langdon in the film adaptation of Dan Brown's best-selling thriller The Da Vinci Code.

The Da Vinci Code was directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, both of whom, along with Grazer, took home Oscars for the drama A Beautiful Mind. Production began in 2005 in United States and Europe.

The Da Vinci Code marks Hanks' third collaboration with Howard and Grazer, having previously starred for Howard in the space drama Apollo 13 and in his star-making role in the comedy Splash.

Ian McKellen (as Sir Teabing, who helps unlock the mysteries of the keystone) and Audrey Tautou (as Sophie Neveu, crytographer and granddaughter of the murdered Louvre curator) are perfectly cast in their important supporting roles say many fans of the original book.

Ian McKellen, Tom Hanks & screenwriter Akiva Goldsman on location at Lincoln Cathedral.

Ian McKellen & Audrey Tautou.

View Fotos : The Da Vinci Code at the Ian McKellen Galleries © Keith Stern

Jean Reno as the police captain, Paul Bettany as Silas (the albino monk and devotee of Opus Dei), and Alfred Molina as Bishop Aragarosa round out the cast.

Throughout 2005 major film location shooting took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris, Chateau de Villette in Val-d'Oise, France, Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, at Lincoln Cathedral (standing in as Westminster Abbey), and at Temple Chapel in London.

As if any doubt existed about the controversy the film promised to cause— on May 19, 2006, the Vatican almost ensured the movie's blockbuster status by calling the faithful to boycott of the film beforehand.

Opus Dei later lost out following a refusal by director Ron Howard to attach a disclaimer to the film that stated in part that "any similarity with reality is purely coincidental".

The Da Vinci Code was on nationwide best seller lists virtually non-stop since it was released by Doubleday in 2003, including 87 weeks at the top of the NY Times Bestseller list. Over 20 million copies of the novel are in print worldwide and the book has been translated into 42 different languages.

More about The Da Vinci Code around the Web:

IMDb - The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Da Vinci Code Paris Virtual Tour

Opus Dei Official Site