We need to be clear on something first: "The Da Vinci Code" is not a great book. It's a fun book, and a quick read, and it
has some nifty ideas, but let's be honest: The writing is pedestrian and the story is ludicrous. It's the literary equivalent of a movie like "Independence Day" or a restaurant like McDonald's. There's no shame in enjoying a book like that, or a movie like that, or a hamburger from there (I'm a fan of all three) -- but you wouldn't describe any of them as outstanding examples of their craft, would you? If you would, you need to read more books/watch more movies/dine out more often. The point is, it's unlikely that a movie version of "The Da Vinci Code" would be brilliant cinema, at least not without completely overhauling the book. It becomes even less likely when that most generically competent and uninteresting of directors Ron Howard gets involved, and the odds drop even further when Howard brings his favorite generic screenwriter Akiva Goldsman ( "A Beautiful Mind," "I, Robot," "Batman & Robin" ) with him.
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