The Lost Symbol finds a writer

Columbia Pictures have gotten themselves a writer wiling to pare down the tome that is Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol into a manageable movie.

Steven Knight, screenwriter on Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things, is the man with the unenviable job. The story, for those of you who wisely steered clear of the book, sees Robert back in action facing off against a new foe and trying to save his kidnapped mentor by uncovering the hidden symbol left by the Masons in Washington D.C.

The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons star Tom Hanks has yet to confirm his availability but it’s likely that both he and director Ron Howard will return.

Will the third one be the saviour or is this franchise destined for the scrap-heap of history?