Netflix announced a sequel to a fan-favorite Tom Hanks franchise, but it seems to be coming without its leading star. In 2006, the Americas star officially debuted his take on the iconic literary symbologist Professor Robert Langdon in the big-screen adaptation of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code novel. Hanks would return to the role two more times, in Angels & Demons and Inferno, with the Academy Award-winning star getting to tackle even more of Brown's Indiana Jones-esque mystery stories.
It has been announced that the world of Dan Brown's Professor Robert Langdon will be getting yet another adaptation; however, this time around, it will be done without franchise superstar Tom Hanks. This is not the first time the world of Brown's treasure-hunting college professor will be tackled without Hanks as its figurehead, but it makes it no less surprising.
Nextflix confirmed plans (via its Tudum blog) to adapt Brown's upcoming novel, The Secret of Secrets, into a streaming mini-series, bringing the author's iconic mystery franchise to the platform unlike ever before.
The new TV series will be helmed by Bates Motel creator Carlton Cuse, who previously worked with the streamer on its hit Locke & Key show.
Brown will help write and executive produce the forthcoming project. It marks the fifth adaptation of one of his works and the first to be announced before the release of the book it is based on.
Hanks was previously involved in three takes on Brown's Robert Langdon books, appearing in The Da Vinci Code (2006), Angels & Demons (2009), and Inferno (2016).
He, however, will be replaced in The Secret of Secrets, with a new actor getting the chance to play the fan-favorite literary hero. This is not unfamiliar territory for Hanks, though, as, in 2021, he watched as Ashley Zukerman took on the Robert Langdon role in Peacock's The Lost Symbol series.
The Secret of Secrets is an upcoming book by Dan Brown due out this September. It marks the sixth novel in the Robert Langdon series. The Netflix series is assumed to adapt the events of the forthcoming book, following Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon as he seeks to protect a scientist who has come under fire by mysterious ancient forces following her groundbreaking work on the human mind.
Why Isn't Tom Hanks in the New Dan Brown Series?
It is worth noting that no casting information has been made public for who will play Robert Langdon in The Secret of Secrets series; however, it is not looking too likely that Tom Hanks will reprise his Da Vinci Code role.
After The Lost Symbol TV show moved away from Hanks' portrayal of the character, the hopes of Hanks returning to the character seemed dashed (at least on the small screen).
If the franchise were to ever come back for a major theatrical effort—perhaps adapting Origin (the lone Dan Brown book that has not been adapted yet)—Hanks may opt to reprise his Robert Langdon character, but until then, it does not look like it is going to happen.
And that may be okay, as Hanks has a busy schedule in the next couple of years anyway.
The 68-year-old has been confirmed to appear in Tony Story 5, which is currently in development at Disney. For fans itching for that Da Vinci Code feeling, Hanks is also set to dip his toe back into the treasure-hunting milieu later this summer in the upcoming Wes Anderson movie The Phoenician Scheme.
Beyond that, the acting superstar has plenty of producing work audiences can look forward to, including the 2025 documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes and the upcoming Carole King biopic Beautiful.
