When you consider how much money The Da Vinci Code made at the box office - $217 million domestically, $758 million internationally on a $125 million budget - the sequel, Angels and Demons, was actually a disappointment. While the film did perform well by normal standards and made back more than three times its budget in global ticket sales, it didn't have nearly the impact that the first Dan Brown adaptation did and actually couldn't even make back its budget while in US theaters (it fell about $17 million short). This drop off was likely due to the fact that neither film was that great. Fortunately they've been taking their time with the third book in Brown's series and have brought on a new writer to work on the script.
According to Deadline, Danny Strong, who is best known for writing the HBO films Game Change and Recount for director Jay Roach, has been brought on to do a rewrite of The Lost Symbol. Mark Romanek, who hasn't directed a film since 2010's Never Let Me Go, is still attached to direct, replacing Ron Howard, who will simply serve as a producer on the project. Strong is actually the third writer to be brought on to the movie, as Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) and even Dan Brown did a pass on the script. Tom Hanks is expected to return as Robert Langdon, but there is no deal in place as of yet. In the book, Langdon is hired to investigate a mystery involving the mysterious organization known as the Freemasons.
The script will actually be Strong's feature debut, as his only other writing experience has been on television. Let's see if he's up to the task.
