Ron Howard garnered critical acclaim in directing the first two films in the explosively popular Da Vinci Code franchise – The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009) – but recently admitted he’d rather turn his focus elsewhere, and has passed on directing the third installment, The Lost Symbol.
A Sony insider reportedly told Deadline: "He wanted to produce this one, not direct," and revealed that Columbia is now searching for a new director.
The ball is already rolling on The Lost Symbol, with the confirmed hiring of Dan Brown, the author behind the book series, to write the script.
Though it has not been officially announced, it is speculated to be very likely that Tom Hanks will reprise his role of Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor of symbology.
Howard, meanwhile, has alluded to being actively involved in a possible movie and TV series based on Stephen King’s epic book series The Dark Tower – which may explain his reluctance to take on the role of director for The Lost Symbol.
The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons earned over $350,000,000 combined at domestic box offices.