Peacock making new show based on Da Vinci Code guy’s books
By Dan Selcke
Globe-hopping symbologist Robert Langdon, lately played by Tom Hanks, is ready to expose another world-spanning conspiracy, this time on TV.
Dan Brown is the author of The Da Vinci Code, the 2003 novel about an academic who uses his knowledge of symbology to uncover grandiose conspiracies hinted at in classic works of art. The main character, Robert Langdon, is the star of several books, all of which reveal that apparently 16th century artists were really in the know about the shady cabals secretly running the world, and that around every corner there’s an assassin sent by the Knights Templar or the Freemasons ready to attack because you know too much.
They’re the definition of fun beach reads, so it’s no surprise that a streaming service is looking to adapt them for TV. In this case, the service is Peacock and the show is Dan Brown’s Langdon, which SyFy Wire reports has officially been ordered to series.
There’s already a pilot for the show in place, with Succession actor Ashley Zukerman playing Robert Langdon. (Tom Hanks played him in a trio of movies directed by Ron Howard.) This particular show is based off the third Robert Langdon novel, 2009’s The Lost Symbol, which finds the harried symbologist blowing the top off a treacherous American conspiracy for a change. It’s set in Washington, D.C., with Eddie Izzard playing the curator of the Smithsonian. Although The Lost Symbol is the third Robert Langdon adventure, the show will make it seem like it happens earlier in his career. And who knows? If it’s a success, I could imagine the other books following.
Dan Brown, Ron Howard will serve as executive producers, alongside Brian Grazer, Samie Kim Falvey and Anna Culp. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Ron and Brian again on another Langdon project,” Brown said. “We’ve all wanted to make The Lost Symbol for some time now, and I’m grateful to CBS Studios, Imagine Television Studios, Universal Television and Peacock for joining forces to make this project a reality. Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie have written a phenomenally captivating script, and the casting and performances are pitch perfect.”
From beach read to beach watch? Just don’t get sand in your phone.
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