Ron Howard won’t be directing the film adaptation of The Lost Symbol, the third book in Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon series, Deadline is reporting. Howard only wants to produce the final film in the trilogy, instead of directing it, even though he helmed its two predecessors, 2006’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and 2009’s ‘Angels and Demons.’
Howard reportedly told Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton from Sony Pictures, which released the first two films in the series, that he doesn’t want to continually tell the same stories with the same character over and over. But the studio is saying Tom Hanks, who portrayed Langdon in both previous adaptations, will reprise his role in ‘The Lost Symbol.’
The news of Howard’s departure from the Langdon series comes after his 2001 film ‘A Beautiful Mind’ won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Connelly. Since then, the Langdon films were the director’s most successful films, as his other movies, including ‘Missing,’ ‘Cinderella Man’ and ‘The Dilemma,’ all underperformed at the box office.
Howard’s decision comes after he made deals with Warner Bros. for two new projects that he will direct and Imagine Entertainment will produce. They include adapting Jon Krakauer’s Under The Banner Of Heaven and a live-action version of Mad magazine’s comic strip Spy vs. Spy.
Written by:: Karen Benardello
