''Not to be glib,'' says director Ron Howard of adapting Dan Brown's 2003 mega-blockbusting novel, ''but I understood going in that it was going to be controversial. I think good fiction stimulates good controversy or discussion.''
The movie should certainly do that. (At the very least, it'll be more controversial than Howard's How the Grinch Stole Christmas.) In case you haven't heard, Catholic groups have long condemned its plot, which follows a Harvard professor and a French cryptologist (played by Tom Hanks, above right, and Amélie's Audrey Tautou, above left) as they unravel an ancient church cover-up involving Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
In fact, debates sparked by the movie are already under way: To wit, what's up with Tom Hanks' hair? Audiences have been buzzing about his slicked-back mane since the trailer premiered late last year — so whose idea was it? ''It was our choice,'' explains producer Brian Grazer. ''It was the partnership's choice — you know, Ron, and myself, and [screenwriter] Akiva Goldsman, and Tom, of course.'' And ever since the project was announced, Da Vinci fans have also wondered: Will ''the partnership'' water down the conspiracy at the heart of the novel to quell protesters? ''No, no, no,'' insists Grazer. ''We wouldn't do that. Just go to any [fansite] and they'll tell you, 'Don't do that.' So we didn't do that.''
You Might Also Like
- DVD Review The Da Vinci Code (Nov 14, 2006) | Jeff Labrecque
- Movie Review The Da Vinci Code (May 19, 2006) | Owen Gleiberman
- Movie News Rome churches bar 'Angels & Demons' filming (May 19, 2006)
- News Roundup Hanks' ''Da Vinci Code'' sequel is a go | Joshua Rich
- All About The Da Vinci Code
- Summer Movies Summer movies: the winners and the losers (Jun 23, 2006) | Dave Karger
