The Robert Langdon movies (The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons) are one of those weird conundrums when it comes to screen adaptations of literature: they were not the most well-received films in terms of critical acclaim, despite the majority of content within the films being extremely faithful to the novels. Personally I have found the movies to be a lot of fun, not being extremely realistic in their plots but overall exciting religious/ historical conspiracy-thrillers. However, even I was surprised by the reveal that Sony Pictures was adapting Dan Brown’s next novel in the franchise, Inferno, as it had been eight years since the previous release of Angels and Demons. With a gap that big and previous reception being somewhat mixed, you would expect enthusiasm for a sequel to die down over time. Not to mention the fact that Inferno is the fourth book in the franchise, following The Lost Symbol.
Sony’s release of the latest trailer for Inferno, however, show the dedication to location and story that the previous movies have shown in the past. Inferno will once more follow the adventures of globe-trotting symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who has woken up in an Italian hospital with partial amnesia, unable to recall the events of the past several days. As he tries to piece together the missing gaps in his memory, he will team up with his doctor, Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), to investigate the connection between the suicide of a famed geneticist and a tweaked map of Dante’s Inferno. Together, they must follow the clues to uncover the secrets behind a deadly virus tied to this map, before it is unleashed upon mankind.
I guess reception towards this movie’s release will depend heavily on your opinion towards The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, but from what I have seen, the trailer for Inferno feels very faithful Brown’s novel. It will also be directed by Ron Howard, who helmed the previous two installments of the franchise, and is based off of a screenplay written by David Koepp, the writer for Angels and Demons. If you liked the previous two films, then you should have a blast watching this one.
Inferno is scheduled for a release date on October 28th.
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