Tom Hanks plays Robert Langdon in Da Vinci Code

Two time Academy award winner actor Tom Hanks is all set to bring fictious character Robert Langdon to flesh in the on screen adaptation of Dan Brown’s cult novel ‘Da Vinci Code’. To be directed by Ron Howard, the Oscar winning director of ‘A Beautiful Mind’ the movie is already aroused loads of hype and curiosity.

Though names of other heavyweights like Liam Neeson, Dennis Quaid and Mel Gibson were also in fray to enact the once in a lifetime role but Hanks stole the role from under the nose of everyone. The director, Howard himself told Newsweek that he chose Hanks to play Langdon because ‘The Da Vinci Code’ sells itself, but (Hanks) gives Langdon instant legitimacy.

The screen adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller kicks off in modern-day Paris with the murder of the Louvre’s chief curator, whose body is found laid out in symbolic repose at the foot of the Mona Lisa. Seizing control of the case are Sophie Neveu, a lovely French police cryptologist, and Harvard symbol expert Robert Langdon, reprising his role from Brown’s last book. The two find several puzzling codes at the murder scene, all of which form a treasure map to the fabled Holy Grail. As their search moves from France to England, Neveu and Langdon are confounded by two mysterious groups-the legendary Priory of Sion, a nearly 1,000-year-old secret society whose members have included Botticelli and Isaac Newton, and the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei. Both have their own reasons for wanting to ensure that the Grail isn’t found. Brown sometimes ladles out too much religious history at the expense of pacing, and Langdon is a hero in desperate need of more chutzpah. Still, Brown has assembled a whopper of a plot that will please both conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts.

Released in March 2003, The ‘Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown has sold more than 4.5 million copies (as of January 2004). It has camped atop the New York Times bestseller list. Brown’s thriller (after Angels and Demons) is an exhaustively researched page-turner about secret religious societies, ancient cover-ups and savage vengeance.

Tom Hanks has appeared in films like Cast Away and Big, as well as on the sitcom Bosom Buddies, is considered one of the most bankable movie stars on the planet. He took the leading-actor trophy at the Academy Awards for his work in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Recently hanks gave us such memorable films like - The Terminal and The Polar Express.

Tom Hanks is expected to take the lead role if a deal can be worked out with Howard. French actor Jean Reno may also appear in the film in a supporting role.