After three films, it was time for Tom Hanks to confide in the saga Da Vinci Codewhich he describes as “bullshit”.
The 2000s saw the emergence of a raging trend, the post-adventure filmIndianaJones. After Lara Croft: Tomb Raiderwe were entitled to Benjamin Gates and the Templar Treasure, welcome to the jungle and of course, to Da Vinci Codereleased in 2006 and directed by Ron Howard (Willow, Apollo 13).
Adapted from the work of novelist Dan Brown, this first film was far from being a critical success, yet it largely succeeded in finding its audience. In the world, Da Vinci Code grossed over $760 million and in France, it was the sixth most viewed film of 2006 with more than 4 million admissions. So obviously, the film had a sequel, then another, but the success was not there. The first sequel, Angels and Demonsreleased in 2009, only raised $485 million and the second, Infernosreleased in 2016, collected only 220 million.
Tom Hanks who tried to dust off the saga with Inferno
Since the first film, the saga has been carried by the character of Robert Langdon, the professor of symbology played by Tom Hanks. Instead of acknowledging the rather mediocre quality of the films, he confided in the New York Times on the economic aspect of these productions and took the opportunity to spit a little in the soup:
“My God, it was commercial projects. Yeah, those sequels on Robert Langdon’s character are hogwash. The Da Vinci Code is bullshit. That’s right, Dan Brown [l’auteur des romans], God bless him, said, “Here is a sculpture in a place in Paris! No, it is right there. You see how a cross forms on a map? ” These are delightful treasure hunts that are about as historically accurate as the James Bond films are spy-truth.
But the movies are as cynical as a crossword puzzle. All we were doing was promising a distraction. There’s nothing wrong with marketing, as long as it’s good. By the time we made the third movie, we proved that wasn’t such a good idea. »
If there’s one thing he couldn’t decipher, it’s public taste.
Not very fair play Tom! If, of course, everyone can recognize that the two sequels were all about money, it’s hard to believe Tom Hanks didn’t know what he was getting into when he signs on for these two sequels. As he prepares to take on the role of Geppeto in Pinocchioin the new adaptation in live-action signed Disney, one wonders if he does not recognize in this project a commercial enterprise as well.
It must all the same be recognized that the gentleman has not often turned in suites and that the trilogy Da Vinci Code is perhaps an anomaly in a successful career. He will also have the opportunity to show us his talent again in Elvisthe new film by Baz Lurhmann in which he plays the King’s impresario, which hits theaters on June 22, 2022.
Tom Hanks Teases The Da Vinci Code Trilogy (And It’s Kinda Funny)