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Columbia to make another Dan Brown - Robert Langdon flick... THE LOST SYMBOL...

Published at:  Apr 21, 2009 3:20:11 AM CDT

Hey folks, Harry here with the news that's becoming part of a standard studio release policy for big summer films. Not too long ago we heard that FOX was commencing work on a script for the next WOLVERINE film. Then PARAMOUNT announced that the writers were hitting the typing machines to hammer out the next STAR TREK adventure. And today, Variety announced that the studio has secured the rights and has begun work on adapting the yet to be released 3rd Langdon adventure/mystery novel following after DA VINCI CODE and ANGELS & DEMONS. The novel will his mid-September.

At the reporting of this news it is unknown whether Tom Hanks would want to complete a Langdon trilogy... or if Ron Howard is up for it either. Such things will most likely be negotiated after the box office of ANGELS & DEMONS is tallied. We'll have to wait and see. I found the first film a little lacking, but I'm hearing really good things about this new one.



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    Readers Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:23:19 AM CDT

    WHO CARES ANYMORE

    by gnarwhal_evan

    Dan Brown is a hack.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:23:26 AM CDT

    Meh.

    by mmackk

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:33:49 AM CDT

    Dan Brown's other books

    by captain rawbeard

    In my opinion Deception Point was a far better read and would make a decent film if done right. Didn't understand why Da Vinci Code was so hyped it was pretty standard.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:34:37 AM CDT

    I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code Book.

    by coursinlarry

    But not the movie.


    I didn't enjoy the Angels & Demons book; I'm hoping the movie is good.


    Hopefully I like both the third book AND movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:38:25 AM CDT

    ALL of the films are lacking

    by badmrwonka

    seriously...the decisions are all based on Box Office totals...and so be it, I'm not that desensitized...but let's not lie about what is going on....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:48:17 AM CDT

    Only the Langdon novels into movies...

    by heckles

    Brown's other work isn't so bad. Assume a studio is just sitting on the rights. Once I hear about Altered Carbon going into pre-production, that'll be a good day.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:55:09 AM CDT

    no

    by theexterminator

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:56:24 AM CDT

    both books have the exact same plot

    by cedar_room

    I don't know if this constitutes a spoiler - but if you have seen The Da Vinci Code you will know exactly what the plot of Angels & Demons is. An old man is found dead in mysterious circumstances with weird writings on his body. Robert Langdon is called in to investigate. The old man's daughter goes along with Langdon. Religious symbolism and secret writings are involved. The church is once again an evil corrupt organisation seeking to repress a giant secret.

    People seeing the film who haven't read the book are going to be amazed at how much of a rehash it seems (yes I know this book came out before the da vinci code - but the film doesn't). I wonder what exciting adventures Langdon will go on in The Lost Symbol? From what I've heard this one is about the Freemasons.

    So....an old man gets murdered in mysterious circumstances - and the Freemasons are involved in an attempt to keep something secret. Symbology and hidden meanings abound. The End.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:01:34 AM CDT

    and

    by cedar_room

    in The Da Vinci Code he goes running around historical sites in Paris - in A&D its Rome. Totally and utterly the exact same story.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:04:59 AM CDT

    Dan Brown would be cool if he could write.

    by gnarwhal_evan

    If Dan Brown understood how to write intelligent and smart novels, he would be awesome. I love conspiracy theories, I love stuff about the freemasons, I love all that shit. Dan Brown finds someway to fuck it all up, though.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:15:05 AM CDT

    Dan Brown is a bad author

    by monkeymanreturns

    He really is...and the Da Vinci move was awful. It illustrated how bad the book actually was. BUT the man sold millions which confirms the fact that people love trash over quality...so more will come. It's just how it is.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:15:27 AM CDT

    Dan Browns books are like cotton candy

    by v'shael

    All flavour, no substance, not exactly bad for you, but not filling either. They're fluff pieces.

    If a kid loves cotton candy (or candy floss or fairy floss depending on your country) it's no big deal.

    But if an adult goes around telling people that it's the best thing he's ever eaten, well, that's just sad.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:23:28 AM CDT

    The same plot...

    by the penultimate gunslinger

    ... it's not just the Robert Langdon books that have the same plot. Digital Fortress and the other one whose name I can't remember all have the plot as well. Mysterious death, a mystereous bad guy, a mystereous hitman/follower of the bad guy. I remember there were more similarities but it's years since I've read any of them. That said, the Dan Brown books are a guilty pleasure of mine and I'm probaly gonna re-read the Robert Langdon ones again before the new ones come out. They're the ultimate page-turners, you can't put those suckers down once you start reading. Brown may not be the best writer ever, but he's pretty good with cliffhangers.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:26:01 AM CDT

    The Da Vinci Code has sold 81 million copies

    by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for

    That's a fucking embarrassment.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:39:35 AM CDT

    Dan Brown = poor man’s Umberto Eco

    by morganleafy

    Ok, I admit it, I do like his books; they’re fun and you can finish them in a couple of prolonged bathroom breaks (they are slightly racist sometimes though). You should try reading In the Name of the Rose, or if you can stomach it, Foucault’s Pendulum. When I was reading that book on the train, people would actually congratulate me for it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:40:52 AM CDT

    Opie gotta eat!

    by batpsycho

    I'm sure he will sign on. And I bet Andy is so proud of the little guy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:59:25 AM CDT

    Year One and Funny Man will bomb

    by unapatowzing

    It has begun...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 5:16:26 AM CDT

    Don't bash Dan Brown.

    by amy chasing

    That's like bashing Bill Gates. Rich guy with bad products that everyone has seen or used. Too easy a target for it to be fun or fair.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 5:23:02 AM CDT

    i figured out why Dan Brown books are so popular

    by drave117

    They are popular because they make stupid people feel smart. "Ooh, I figured out the riddle before Langdon did!" Yeah, I've got news for you. The riddle was HOLDING THE BOOK UP TO A MIRROR! It's not rocket science, people.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 5:26:04 AM CDT

    I'm keeping my fingers crossed--

    by drunkymclush

    --for a moment in the second film where MacGregor will ditch the priest getup and go visit Sick Boy and they'll go back to a park to recommence shooting Pit Bulls in the ass with a pellet gun.....

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 6:51:34 AM CDT

    Hopefully Ewan's good in this

    by darth busey

    Luca$ really fucked up his career trajectory.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 6:56:50 AM CDT

    Nah, Ewan's career is fine.

    by amy chasing

    Those Long Way Round/Down DVDs keep on selling and selling and selling.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 7:08:00 AM CDT

    OMG watch this

    by sheeple

    On the Danish NATIONAL NEWS!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_tf25lx_3o&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Einfowars%2Ecom%2Fdanish%2Dscientist%2Don%2Dtv%2Dnano%2Dthermite%2Dbehind%2Dcollapse%2Dof%2Dwtc%2Dbuildings%2Don%2D911%2Dnot%2Dplanes%2F&feature=player_embedded

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 7:32:46 AM CDT

    Ironic

    by cobbio

    I think Dan Brown writing books that make dumb people feel smart kills any real interest in the issue. Since the books and movies came out, does anyone take The Priory of Zion or Mary Magdalene's plight seriously anymore? In my opinion, not really. People respond, "Oh, I saw that movie! Wasn't it great?" or "I didn't really like that book/movie." They never want to discuss the real issues anymore. It's become entertainment, which suits the Catholic Church just fine.
    Ironic, Dan Brown, eh?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:09:06 AM CDT

    I cant wait for the book

    by ominus

    come on dan brown finish it already.
    Holywood MUST adapt his DECEPTION POINT novel.i believe as conspiracy goes,its his best work and has material for a great summer popcorn movie.
    I didnt like his Digital Fortress much,too predictable,too unrealistic and too exaggerating.
    the funny thing is that when i was reading its end,somehow i had in my mind the image of Harry Knowles as the fat geek who was the head of the usa network defenses.
    haha that would have been great,if they casted Harry in that role in a future movie adaptation of this novel.anyway.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:24:07 AM CDT

    drave...

    by perromaldito

    That was fucking hilarious!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:28:45 AM CDT

    Uh...

    by chadley bebay

    Okay first of all... He is a good writer. This hatred for him is fucking silly. If you have read his books you would know this, end of story. There is nothing hackneyed about it you stupid chumps. Also the books ARE not the same at all. I found them to be totally independant. There is a formula, yes, but the experience of reading A&D, and the way the stories unfold are not even close to the same. I think you fuckwits think because books have a common theme that there is some kind of chicanery going on... By the way, I am not a big Dan Brown fan AT ALL, but what I have read is good.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:43:25 AM CDT

    To the 911 nut...

    by chadley bebay

    It goes like this... people cannot accept tragedy or disaster without trying to find a higher meaning. Its part of the human condition. Saying 'the government did it!" is just a pathetic attempt to make 9/11 more than the sensless tragedy it really was. But there's nothing more. Dont be stupid. Don't let your faliable mind make an ass of you. People who don't believe this shit see right through your pathectically misguided crusade. Too bad you cant.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:48:16 AM CDT

    Better than Harris

    by beyondstatic

    Let's hope this deal turns out better than the Thomas Harris deal - doing a movie based on an unreleased book. "Hannibal Rising" was a disappointment across the board, though naturally the novel was more in-depth.

    Dan Brown has a good thing going. Let's hope Hollywood doesn't speed the plow and send his career downward by placing too much demand on a talented writer.

    Like a fine wine, art takes time. Let it breathe.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:48:51 AM CDT

    He isnt a good writer from the point of

    by ominus

    view that he doesnt use the art of writing so well.u know just like hp lovecraft or douglas adams didnt have great writting skills.
    they werent like hemminway or poe or whatever.
    but despite this, their stories were magnificent,they could capture the readers attention and could entertain them or make them think.
    dan brown isnt going to win a pulitzer or a nobel prize but he does make great conspiracy stories,he studies and researches his subject in depth and he knows how to intrigue the reader.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:24:17 AM CDT

    He could have just pumped out more books

    by pedro_voted_for_me

    But he took his time. The Da Vinci Code came out in 2003!

    John Grisham was churning out a book a year after the success of The Firm (most of which were then optioned and made into films - A Time to Kill, The Chamber, The Client, The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker etc) but Dan Brown has instead taken his time to craft a worthy follow-up. He hasn't been driven by the studio - as Harris possibly was with the dual novel/screenplay writing of Hannibal Rising. But do any of us really think the book wouldn't be adapted the moment it was announced!


    As an aside, read an amazing stat on the BBC website that here in the UK, his books are the top 4 selling adult paperbacks of all time! Hack or not, that is a pretty astonishing achievement!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:33:22 AM CDT

    Wait..what happened to The Solomon Key?

    by simplesandwiches

    Wasn't the 3rd Langdon novel called The Solomon Key? What's this Lost Symbol stuff? Am I not going to Wikipedia often enough?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:38:13 AM CDT

    'A little lacking'?

    by ogoncho

    Now there's an understatement.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:51:08 AM CDT

    Baffling Bullshit

    by unscripted

    Oh, god, no, not another turgid pseudo-intellectual semi-religious conspiracy flick. I can't believe how many people think DVC is some kind of documentary, despite the ready listings of details that Brown got wrong or just plain invented. My theory as to its popularity is that it makes readers FEEL like it's some book for great brains, and cheeee, they can unnerstan it an evathing!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:02:00 AM CDT

    You're a hack, gnarwhal_evan.

    by leafar the lost

    Dan Brown is a "hack" with millions of US dollars. He could buy and sell you if he wanted to.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:09:30 AM CDT

    I'll only be seeing Angels & Demons, because I'm a Cosimo Fusco

    by leafar the lost

    Cosimo Fusco plays Father Simeon in the movie. His best work was in "La porta delle 7 stelle" in 2005.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:43:58 AM CDT

    Pedro_Voted_For_Me needs to get his facts straight

    by saintsaucey

    A Time To Kill came out before The Firm but it wasn't as critically acclaimed as the Firm The Pelican Brief and the Client So it only got a limited release and after the others were such hits it was re-released by a different publisher that recognized it's value.

    I like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and am really looking forward to the new novel which was originally titled the Solomon Key while it was being written but changed once it was finished. My only problem with the movie was the casting of Tom Hanks. I think there are plenty of actors they could have cast but Howard has such a man crush on Hanks that he hardly works with anyone else.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:49:19 AM CDT

    since u r talkin about alternate universes

    by ominus

    They should have used the MAESTRO
    timeline in the Hulk reboot movie.it would have been cooler.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 11:20:56 AM CDT

    worste book title ever!

    by potatino

    bleh! The lost symbol. I reckon solomon key would have been a better title. My guess is he couldn't use it because he is being a little bit more careful about ripping people off this time round... I wonder if he is going to make all those funky freemason cospiracy theories seem just as sucky as he has made the christ kids conspiracy theory seem. There. Out of my system. Better.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 11:23:09 AM CDT

    does the amazon picture

    by potatino

    of dan brown make him look a bit like the dad in family ties??? Or do I need my eyes checked?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 11:47:03 AM CDT

    Settle Down

    by -mrbean-

    I love how some of you are so pretentious that you need to use the AICN talkback to rail on how stupid everyone is who liked the Da Vinci Code. The book and movie was a success. Deal with it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 11:53:49 AM CDT

    Dan Brown's next books....

    by ccchhhrrriiisssm

    The Elvis Code: Dan Brown will attempt to prove that John Lennon was actually married to Paul McCartney.
    The Holocaust Code: Dan Brown will try to claim that he has found some evidence in a painting of Snoopy that the holocaust never really happened. He will claim that the video footage of it was created in a movie studio and that all of the bodies that were recovered were all made of wood.
    The Buddha Code: Dan Brown will examine a statue found in ancient Egypt and determine that Buddha was actually a horny Roman general named Mark Anthony...even though they were born in different millenia.
    The Mohammed Code: Brown will attempt to prove that Mohammed was a drunken, polygamist who married an 8 year old niece of his named Aisha because Allah told him to. Oh wait...that is actually true. Oh well, I guess that Hollywood would NEVER permit a film that would offend Muslims or other minority religions. They reserve such films for Christianity.BTW, Dan Brown is a decent writer who couldn't find work until he plagiarized THE TEMPLAR REVLOUTION and turned it into THE DIVINCI CODE. The sad thing? Dan Brown actually believes the shit that he wrote was his own...and that this sort of fiction is true.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 11:58:23 AM CDT

    saintsaucey

    by ccchhhrrriiisssm

    I read the book and watched the film. The book was interesting. Tom Hanks just killed the film. I think that they should have hired William Hurt. He would be much more believable as an esteemed college professor. Tom Hanks acts the same in every film...except Forest Gump.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 12:23:50 PM CDT

    more movies

    by misterdestructo

    ron howard was on the bill mahr show the other night saying he would be up for another film as soon as dan brown had the book ready. i'd assume if he's coming back so would mr. hanks.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 12:32:01 PM CDT

    Dharma Initiative?

    by mattmanreturns

    That's the only "Lost" symbol I know of...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 12:55:53 PM CDT

    My Theory of Dan Brown's Langdon Books

    by themarinebiologist

    As stated above by Cedar Room, they are both the same book. So, this is how my theory works, and I have yet to try this on someone that it didn't work.

    You will like the first book you read, but than you will hate the second book. If you read Da Vinci Code first, you will hate Angels and Demons. If you read Angels and Demons first, you will hate Da Vinci Code.

    Every single person I have ever talked to that have read these books backs up my theory.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:10:39 PM CDT

    Slow

    by jwardlow

    Slow and dull even when you ARE a freemason. The Nicholas Cage films are much more entertaining.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:11:29 PM CDT

    gay

    by supercowbell4therequestformorecowbell

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:19:42 PM CDT

    TheMarineBiologist, I guess I'm the exception

    by slone13

    I read the DaVinci Code first. Thought it was harmless fluff but I had a hard time understanding what all the fuss was about.

    Then I read Angels & Demons and liked it a lot more.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:31:38 PM CDT

    Dan Brown is the Steven King of the mystery/conspiracy genre

    by lucky_day

    Neither are brilliant writers but sure can write fun-to-read, page turners. Guilty pleasures.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:47:35 PM CDT

    Not a Dan Brown fan

    by drewlicious

    I'm assuming it takes him this long to do the research (accurate or not) but I wish he'd spend as much time on actually writing. Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly seem to churn out something every year and the writing in both cases is rock solid.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:49:28 PM CDT

    TheMarineBiologist

    by mordiceius

    I read the DaVinci Code first and while I thought it was alright, I absolutely loved Angels and Demons, even though I read it second.

    I was glad with this film order since it was the way I read the books.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:53:11 PM CDT

    Stephen Fucking King?

    by long_duk_dong

    Fuck that! Kings fucking Shakespeare compared to this hack. He actually creates semi-plausible characters with understandable motivations. Brown writes at the level of a mongoloid eight year old. What a bullshit fucking statement that is.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:57:42 PM CDT

    Father John Corapi . . . all you need to know.

    by wx1

    Ah, the misleader known as Dan Brown. Catholicism needing a goddess, eh? Guess the misleader known as Dan Brown never heard of or skipped the parts about the Virgin Mary, revered by all the angels and saints.

    I would pay to see a debate between the falsifer known as Dan Brown and the Nick Fury (Steranko version, mind you) of Catholicism, Father John Corapi. ( http://tinyurl.com/5oawob
    ) Corapi would make Brown brown his pants and cry, too.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 1:59:45 PM CDT

    Stephen King has written masterpieces...

    by mattmanreturns

    Such as The Shining, The Stand, Dark Tower, etc. They aren't just good stories, they are WELL WRITTEN. Sure, he's written a lot of shit too, but so have most of the greats. Dan Brown is not in the same league.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:00:04 PM CDT

    The movie T.D.C. was better then the book.

    by charlie_allnut

    His writing is horrible to me. I read The Davinci Code and thought it was ok but way overated, while I couldn't get past 3 chapters of Angels and Demons. I wonder who he plagerized off of this time?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:00:48 PM CDT

    The Davinci Code

    by antonphd

    My favorite film. It was just... just the perfect combination of what I like most in story telling. And who can resist Amelie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:20:41 PM CDT

    Well, that ruins my day...

    by themarinebiologist

    On the plus side, it's great to hear that you guys liked Angels and Demons more than Da Vinci (I am of this mind).

    On the minus side, it completely blows away my tried and tested theory.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:27:15 PM CDT

    Seriously, A&D is much better then Da Vinci Code...

    by yotzvonfrelnik

    Everyone got all hyped-up over The Da Vinci Code because we have this crazy romantic attachment to most things Da Vinci. And the idea of stuff being hidden cryptically in the Mona Lisa just feeds into that. I read Angels and Demons first before the Da Vinci movie came out and really drew a contrast between them. I mean, yeah, Da Vinci's a fine read, fun even, but A&D just has a much less forced and more credible vibe going on.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:37:28 PM CDT

    More credible vibe?

    by themarinebiologist

    Jumping out of a helicopter and surviving using nothing but your jacket as a parachute?

    Granted, I liked the book...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 2:45:15 PM CDT

    I hear his new book...

    by fiester

    has lots of pictures in it. Just like a Denny's menu! Yes, he is a quintessential American writer for our nation of idiots.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:05:38 PM CDT

    It is fiction...

    by ccchhhrrriiisssm

    ...to everyone EXCEPT Dan Brown. To him, it is fact (even though he knows that he stole it from someone else). Yeah, Dan Brown is a weirdo for believing that nonsense. He is a decent writer...but wayyyyyyyy overrated. I think that he should turn to something other than fictitious religious conspiracies.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:46:05 PM CDT

    terrible writer

    by spacechampion

    case in point: "A voice spoke, chillingly close. "Do not move."

    On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly.

    Only fifteen feet away..." What kind of idiot writes like that?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:47:52 PM CDT

    spacechamp

    by greyspecter

    answer: Dan Brown.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 3:50:32 PM CDT

    btw, love the nomme du plume

    by greyspecter

    "Hey, let's think up a cool pen name for me! Ummm....what's a good name? What name would I pick if I could name myself anything? Giovannini? Petrus? Alexander? Larraby? No, wait, I've got it! Dan Brown! It's perfect! Classy, simple, chique, exotic, it's got everything! I'm so talented."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:02:50 PM CDT

    Deception Point.

    by tedkordlives

    If you're gonna make movies out of his books, maybe do one of the ones that are more straight-up action/adventure.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:03:53 PM CDT

    Or:

    by tedkordlives

    Check out 'Daemon' by Daniel Suarez. Awesome techno-conspiracy from beyond the grave. Trust me, I work in a bookstore.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:08:18 PM CDT

    Hack

    by knightborn

    I got thru about 150 pages of Angels and Demons and gave up. What tripe. Dan Brown is such a horrible writer. He is a good idea man, but a horrible writer. He reminds me of the late Michael Crieghton or Robert Sawyer, both able to come up with great ideas for a book but lack(ed) the talent to flesh that idea into a good novel (regardless of numbers of copies sold...popularity does NOT equal quality).

    The final straw that forced me to abandon A&D was the author's bad habit of having his characters, who are supposed to be brilliant, suddenly turn stupid when its convenient for the plot and ask each other really dumb questions, simply because the author needed to explain something to the reader to advance the plot. Its lazy writing. None of his characters rings true, no ones motivations seem sincere.

    And I agree with the posts above about this seeming to be the same story as Da Vinci Code. I gave up after 150 pages so I cant say they end the same but my god they certainly have the same setup. More lazy writing.

    That said, good movies can be made from lousy books and I am a fan of Ewan so I will see it and hope for the best.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:17:43 PM CDT

    Let's see Robert Anton Wilson Illuminatus! Trilogy made

    by rollermonkey

    Now that would be something

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:24:13 PM CDT

    WOW, what a bunch of slack jawed faggots

    by teh awesome

    He provides a service or product and got paid many millions of dollars for it. He wrote it, people bought it, people loved it, people told more people and more people bought it.
    You interweb experts are freaking pathetic. Hey, how about this.....GO WRITE YOUR OWN BESTSELLER. THEN you can talk.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:28:34 PM CDT

    Obviously Dan Brown did something right.

    by teh awesome

    He's probably lying in the sun in south america getting his toes sucked on by beautiful women while you fat ass mouth breathers are whining about how his book sucks. You're all fools.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:30:38 PM CDT

    By the way, you can post all day long

    by teh awesome

    about how much everyone who succeeds at something sucks, it is your right to do so. I'm just here to remind a few of you that you're worthless opinion is just that. So, proceed to oblivion.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:37:06 PM CDT

    Hear, hear, rollermonkey!

    by r_number6

    An Illuminatus film series would be awesome, though unlikely as the budget would be huge and the story is far too "out there" for anyone but fans of the books, which there aren't nearly enough of. As for DVC, the main thing that drove me nuts about it was the dialoge. No one, I mean NO ONE talks like the people in that story. I wanted to throw the damn book out a window every time someone mentioned "the sacred feminine," which was around once every other page. What I did like, though, was the pacing of the story. I can see why they wanted to use it as the basis for a season of 24, because unlike the last few seasons of that show (forgive me, Jack!), Brown does actually make it believable that all the events of the book could happen over one 24-hour period.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 4:41:31 PM CDT

    I have seen the future and...

    by diazanon

    in Dan Brown's "next" book the expert/mentor figure will turn out to be bad. Dan seems completely full of himself and he repeats plot points/twists way too much but for all that I did enjoy the Langdon books.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 5:07:32 PM CDT

    1, 2, 3...

    by sal_bando

    ...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 5:22:22 PM CDT

    Angels & Demons

    by superjim

    Was a better book than the Davinci Code,even though parts of it are ridiculous (helicopter for example). I'm not sure it will make a better film, though. I didn't know Dan Brown was writing a 3rd Langdon book, I hope I like it.Deception Point would make a decent film, its been a while but I think it was my favourite of all of Dan Brown's books. Did anyone else picture the main character of Deception Point as the man from Uncharted:Drake's Fortune before it was out?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 6:10:47 PM CDT

    Harry, I find your brain and honesty "a little lacking"

    by proman1984

    Sincerely Fuck you you asscunt.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 6:42:33 PM CDT

    great , they can blame more stuff on religion

    by mikey mike

  • Apr 21, 2009 7:54:57 PM CDT

    Tom Hanks should make a new F Gump

    by requiem4ajerk09

    I thought Robert Langdon was handsome not fat and bloated

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 7:56:47 PM CDT

    actually both Dan Brown and Umberto Eco

    by maniaq

    do a seriously LARGE amount of TALKING SHIT instead of, you know, MOVING THE STORY ALONG...
    the Da Vinci film was always going to suffer from this - if you read the book and skip all that crap that's basically just a lecture, well there's not much actual STORY left over, so adapting that into (an entertaining) film was always going to be a challenge...
    as for the prequel, well pretty much more of the same, except I think I remember that was more story and less.. schooling going on there, so maybe this prequel movie may turn out a little better?
    except I saw the trailer and - is that Scotsman REALLY going to be playing the b- errr- that character??
    meh...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 8:48:21 PM CDT

    As long as they cast Hanks wig the next movie will be OK

    by xiphos_2

    That badger like thing on Hanks head was a riot.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:27:59 PM CDT

    Drewlicious

    by the bicycle sharer

    Fuckin' A on Michael Connelly! Just reread (for the third time) every one of his books in chronological order. Can't wait for The Scarecrow in May (Jack and Rachel) and Nine Dragons (Bosch) in October!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:30:43 PM CDT

    Hey, Teh Awesome

    by the bicycle sharer

    I just took a shit. You wanna pay for that? I mean, some people produce it. Others pay to have it on their chests. Some even pay to eat it. So it must be worthwhile, huh? How much money you got on you?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 9:38:57 PM CDT

    Proofread your work, goddmammit Harry!

    by jaymrobinson

    What does " The novel will his mid-September." mean?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:02:12 PM CDT

    Teh Awesome

    by knightborn

    Thank you so much for your insightful posts, Teh Awesome. I now realize, thanks to your convincing points, that you are correct, my opinion that Dan Brown is a talentless hack was completely off base and that I am apparently a mouth breathing faggot.

    My favorite line of yours was the "GO WRITE YOUR OWN BESTSELLER. THEN you can talk" portion of your post, that really put us in our place. I will be sure to hold off discussing the merits of any book or author until AFTER I finish my book (unless I love the book, then apparently I am allowed to express an opinion). And will also be sure to withhold my opinions on movies and music too until after, you know, I produce a movie and record an album.

    Oh, and slag off, you dimwitted troll.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:17:57 PM CDT

    Hey Bicycle Sharer

    by teh awesome

    What the Hell are you talking about? What a stupid analogy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 21, 2009 10:21:54 PM CDT

    hey knightborn

    by teh awesome

    Take you are your pseudo-intellectualism spewn forth onto the interwebs and put it in your arse.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 12:01:50 AM CDT

    Teh Awesome

    by mattmanreturns

    I'd argue with you, but that would only give you an excuse to prove your vastly superior debate skills by calling me a "faggot."

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 12:30:56 AM CDT

    symbols and shit

    by menleavingfactory1903

    The Hardy Boys are more plausible detectives than this Langdon schmoe.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 1:28:02 AM CDT

    Xiphos_2

    by dingbatty

    The wig will be busy filming the third entry in the National Treasure series, so the next DB movie will be delayed.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 3:28:31 AM CDT

    The books were lacking

    by hiperaktiv

    Over rated really...not too bad, but not great either.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 4:31:53 AM CDT

    DAn Brown is a shitty writer-

    by lost jarv

    fuck's sake. He's atrocious. I can't believe some people are actually saying he's good. Have you fuckers ever actually read anything without pictures and giant font before?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 5:03:02 AM CDT

    Sick of this Illuminati bullshit

    by kobaal

    Does anyone actually buy that bullshit any more? It's so fucking cliché and hackneyed. If such a group ever existed it never had remotely the power ascribed to it by these drooling fantasists. It's almost as embarrassing as 9/11 truthers.
    Memo to Hollywood and pop authors: please have an original idea/plot/villain. Please!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 5:14:55 AM CDT

    oh come on...

    by seph_j

    ...at least our last cinematic memory of 'The Illuminati' will be far better than it was following that terrible 'Tomb Raider' attempt.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 5:51:33 AM CDT

    Not a stupid analogy at all

    by the bicycle sharer

    Dan Brown writes shit. Some here criticize it for being shit, but you seem convinced that, just because some/lots of people like it and buy it, it's not shit. When, in fact, it is shit. Just to be clear, Dan Brown = shit.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Has obviously not read the book (unless they've seriously changed the premise)

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 8:04:36 AM CDT

    I agree with rollermonkey

    by potatino

    RA Wilsons Illimintus! trilogy would make a fun/interesting movie

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 8:13:43 AM CDT

    A minor defense of Dan Brown

    by chrth

    Stylistically he's a very readable author. He's like John Grisham: his writing is so fluid that you can be done reading the book before you realize it sucks.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 10:19:55 AM CDT

    I've Got to Get to a Library!

    by mindraven

    hopefully this will be the "I've got a bad feeling about this" of the Langdon trilogy

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 10:23:13 AM CDT

    goldenage

    by goldenage

    Point 1. The Illuminatus trilogy was written by 2 people, RA Wilson and Robert Shea. Respect due.
    Point 2. Dan Brown is a talentless cunt, I read Angels and Demons and it is so inept it made my eyes bleed.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 10:40:10 AM CDT

    Hey Mattman, I couldn't care any less

    by teh awesome

    if you argue with me. Besides, I'm not arguing, I'm sharing an opinion that happens to be different than some of the overstuffed, self important blowhards who frequent this site. If you want to argue then go ahead, I'll sit this one out.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 10:44:43 AM CDT

    Bicycle Sharer, you're a genius.

    by teh awesome

    And you made a completely stupid analogy. And you state your worthless opinion as fact, if you were actually a serious critic of any worth you would dress your drivel as opinion. PLus you won't sound like an emo 17 year old girl. Maybe your are one. Either way, you sound fat. You also happen to think that somehow your "taste" is so much higher than 90% of people out in the world, jackass. WELL GOOOD FOR YOOOOUUUU!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 10:49:49 AM CDT

    teh awesome

    by i_am_not_the_droid_you_are_looking_for

    You're a stupid cunt. But that's just my opinion. Have a good one.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 12:35:32 PM CDT

    Hey driod

    by teh awesome

    Likewise, you cock.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 12:56:19 PM CDT

    Haha, Teh Awesome

    by mattmanreturns

    If I say you're arguing, and then you say you're not arguing... that's an argument. If you call someone a faggot because you don't like their opinion, and they defend themselves, you've initiated an argument. You couldn't help but reply, even though you claim you "couldn't care any less" if I argue with you.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 1:16:47 PM CDT

    Hey Mattman

    by teh awesome

    You're right, that would indeed be an argument. I stand corrected.

    Still, you'll die like dogs.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 2:49:04 PM CDT

    fanfiction as literature criticism...

    by creamcheesealchemist

    As Adrian Veidt goes on and on about the secrets left behind by Alexander the Great, Robert Langdon ponders it all. In all his other cases, he gets information from the guy who turns out to be behind the whole thing. He gets chased by some sort of exotic 'other' or freak show assassin. And then there's the hot European chick he gets to bang. If Langdon was a tad more thoughtful, he'd know Veidt was behind it all... and perhaps even the hot piece of Euro-ass he gets to play around with.

    But all he can do is gawk at the pyramids and ask if they represent the Holy Grail. Veidt looks stunned and a tad offended.

    "Stupid. Holy grail not women parts or old as pyramids."

    Robert Langdon glares at Rorschach before absently looking over at the picture on Veidt's computer. "Who's that woman?"

    Adrian loses it, "Do you really have no sense how Renaissance artists represented beautiful young men?"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 3:08:54 PM CDT

    Mattman Returns: That's not an argument

    by chrth

    It's a contradiction

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 3:29:24 PM CDT

    Yay, Tom Hanks just made another 50 Million...

    by big_dumb_bunny

    Who the fuck cares anymore. The first one sucked, this will probably suck and the next one... well it'll probably suck too. But hey, it's not like there's anything better to do with hundreds of millions of dollars in this day and age. I guess we're just fortunate that everyone on this planet is well fed and has clean water to drink...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 3:36:08 PM CDT

    Big_Dumb_Bunny actually Peter Scolari in disguise?

    by chrth

  • Apr 22, 2009 4:36:50 PM CDT

    Speaking of Connelly

    by drewlicious

    Why haven't we gotten anything featuring Harry Bosch? Great character. Another great character I would love to see on screen by a different author, Agent Pendergast. Great character and for some reason a better fit for TV than film. Would much rather see these characters than Langdon where the only thing I can remeber describing him was "Harrison Ford in Harrison Tweed." Lame.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 5:38:58 PM CDT

    I'm the least snobbish reader ever...

    by ravetin

    ...and Brown seems shitty and hackish enough for even me to complain. Brown and his books demonstrates the difference between "actual intelligence" and academic intelligence.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 6:03:37 PM CDT

    Pendergast is too much of a Mary Sue

    by chrth

    Cabinet of Curiosities is my favorite of those, but I don't think the climax would translate well to screen, small or large.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 22, 2009 11:25:23 PM CDT

    chrth...

    by big_dumb_bunny

    That's hilarious, but no.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 23, 2009 1:25:22 AM CDT

    Liked Deception Point...

    by hatemphd

    hated digital fortress. I rooted for all the characters to die in that book.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 23, 2009 6:07:18 AM CDT

    Hanks is woefully miscast

    by steepdog1

    Really wished we'd have seen Ed Norton or Hugh Jackman in these. Even Bill Pullman. Can't quite put my finger on why I don't like Hanks as Langdon but it just never worked for me.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 23, 2009 9:53:59 AM CDT

    because langdon not 'everyman' like hanks...

    by creamcheesealchemist

    author's ideal self, mary sue, academic who lives like harrison ford and james bond

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 15, 2010 3:19:32 AM CST

    SuapEIst

    by tmveqk

    QWWYgr SuapEIst

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 15, 2010 3:20:06 AM CST

    RjCpTAvf

    by tmveqk

    NevCDe RjCpTAvf

    Reply to Talkback

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