Damn, Da Vinci Code was awful. Ron Howard needs to stop directing. I think he has a writer's handbook for directing and just reads off of that the entire time he is shooting. It's pathetic.

Howard moves fast with 'Code' sequel
Director finalizing 'Angels' before strike
By MICHAEL FLEMING

As Hollywood scrambles to make deals before the Oct. 31 expiration of the WGA pact, one fast-tracked project has almost flown under the radar -- though it could become one of the biggest films assembled during this frenzied period.
Columbia has formalized a February start in Europe for "Angels & Demons," the Ron Howard-directed sequel to "The Da Vinci Code" that will be released in December 2008.

Producers Brian Grazer and John Calley, Col, Howard and writer Akiva Goldsman are seeking to finalize the shooting script before next week's deadline. Meanwhile, the "Angels" team have begun casting around Tom Hanks, who will reprise his role as Robert Langdon.

The film guarantees a manic year for Howard, who will be multi-tasking to get the picture done. Howard will shoot "Angels & Demons" as he supervises editing and post-production on the screen adaptation of the Peter Morgan play "Frost/Nixon." That film, which Howard wrapped shooting last week, has tentatively been slotted for a late 2008 release.

This means Howard could have a double-pronged post-production schedule and will have two high-profile projects opening in a relatively short time.

The rush-rush schedule echoes Steven Spielberg's back-to-back shooting of "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" and Clint Eastwood's double duty on "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima."

Hanks' character, a Harvard-based expert on religious symbols, this time sleuths a mystery that involves a secret society and a conspiracy that leads to Vatican City and threatens the future of the Catholic Church.

Dan Brown wrote "Angels & Demons" prior to "The Da Vinci Code," but after the first film grossed $218 million domestic and $758 million worldwide, the studio made a seven-figure deal with Goldsman to turn the earlier novel into a sequel (Daily Variety, May 24, 2006).

'Frost/Nixon' sounds interesting, but Howard is indeed a hack. His films are utterly vacuous. His technique allows him to churn out hollywood fodder that is eaten up by the masses. He is the poor man's Spielberg.

Alas 'Angels & Demons' will make a ton of money... sigh.


I give him props for at least attempting the filmization of 'Frost/Nixon'.

I also liked A&D better than Code. I didn't think the ending was as bad as most considering

Can't wait.

Me, I'm just hoping they use John Langdon's beautiful ambigram in the poster.

http://www.frederiksamuel.com/blog/images/jlang3.jpg

Something tells me that ambigram would be the best thing about this movie. I HATED the Da Vinci Code. I thought it was cliche, vapid, boring, suspense-less, over-hyped and underwhelming. I really don't see this film going any other way. Even Hanks, who I normally love, was flat and uninspired in DVC. Unless I see a trailer that blows me away I'll be passing on this one.

I loved The Da Vinci Code & Angels & Demons in novel format. And I guess I'm in the minority since I liked the movie. Alas, I will be in line to see this when it is released.

Why did I read that? I was waiting for the movie about your grandfather!

Howard may only be as good as the material and talent he's working with, and his batting average has certainly gone downhill the last ten yrs, but that still leaves us Backdraft, Apollo 13, Ransom and Cinderella Man. Not bad imo.

Looking forward to this one.

I hid it because of it's relation to the ending of the book.

I thought Da Vinci Code was enjoyable but not as great as it could/should have been. I liked the book Angels & Demons better then Da Vinci, so i'm still looking forward to this.

oh great, we get to see that wierd Tom Hanks hairdo again...

What disappoints me the most is that Tom Hanks is wasting his early 50's on crappy movies that give him absolutely no challenge whatsoever.

For some reason, I always had Edward Norton in my head for the main role (can't remember the name, not Langdon). It worked really well in my head, dammit Howard, get Norton signed up...

And I do agree, I thought this was a much, much better book than Da Vinci Code. I don't have the hatred for the Da Vinci code movie that a lot do, I thought it was pretty good and really liked Hanks as Langdon.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/...0aa9e4beff6454

'Angels' wings clipped
Columbia delays pic as strike takes a toll
By Borys Kit and Leslie Simmons
Nov 19, 2007

Sony has postponed production on Columbia Pictures' "Angels and Demons," the latest major film project to be derailed by the writers strike.

Tom Hanks is set to reprise his role as symbologist Robert Langdon in "Angels," a prequel to "The Da Vinci Code," with Ron Howard again directing. The studio said Friday the screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel, was not ready to go before the cameras.

But "Angels" isn't alone. Several other projects are in limbo and might be heading towards postponement, even with the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers returning to the table next week. The shifting schedules are causing some directors to leave projects and others to pick up proejct as the labor drama plays out.

In postponing "Angels," Sony spokesman Steve Elzer said that "while the filmmakers and the studio feel the screenplay is very strong, we do not believe it is the fully realized production draft required of this ambitious project." He added, "We do not expect any other film on our 2008 slate to be affected."

"Angels" had been scheduled to begin production early next year and was slated for release Dec. 19, 2008. While no new start date has been set, its release date has been moved to May 15, 2009, a week before Fox has scheduled the release of James Cameron's 3-D feature "Avatar."

The production had secured permits to shoot in and around Rome, though it had been denied access to the Vatican, where much of the story takes place. It had booked a studio set for the Vatican scenes.

Vittoria's been cast:

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2007/zurer.jpg

from this article

I guess she'll do. I always saw Vittoria as played by nobody else other than Monica Belucci.

I'm good with that casting.

Good choice! I'm happy it wasn't Watts.

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

Odd, I thougth there was another thread for this with more attention, but I guess not (I did two searches).

Anyway, the full trailer is out now (may have been for a while already).

Looks pretty good. I haven't read the book, but from the teaser and the trailer the Ewan McGregor screams, "I'm with the bad guys."

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer...demons/trailer

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

Never saw Da Vinci Code. Do I need to watch it to get this one?

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

I doubt it, mcfly. Although the film is a sequel, the book it's based on takes place before the events of The Da Vinci Code. They just chose to change the timeline around for the film version. I very much doubt any characters from the first film will pop up in Angels & Demons even though Ron Howard has said he's taking a lot of liberties with the source material since Angels & Demons is the least popular of the two (soon to be three) books.

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

I'm not sure about the movie but as far as the books go, Angels and Demons took place before The Da Vinci Code so I'd assume you don't need to see it first.

Edit: Damn, Roc beat me to it!

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

I fell asleep during Da Vinci Code. Would I like this one?

Re: Angels & Demons (pre-Da Vinci Code)
 

Soon to be three? Is Dan Brown writing another book?

By the way, I liked The Davinci Code book, but I liked Angels and Demons MUCH better. Let's hope the liberties Howard took doesn't detract from it too much.