"Tom is an exciting actor to watch thinking," Howard tells General Editor Devin Gordon. "We probably don't need his status from a box-office standpoint" -- by now, "The Da Vinci Code" sells itself -- "but he gives [Robert] Langdon instant legitimacy."

Hanks will play the role of Robert Langdon, an academic scholar who unravels a series of clues hidden in the paintings of Leonardo DaVinci after a mysterious murder leads him to an even greater conspiracy that could ruin the Catholic church.

Howard and Grazer are taking their time casting "Da Vinci," but plan to hire actual foreign actors to play the book's foreign characters. "If there's any book that's supposed to be an international thriller, says Grazer, "this is it." Grazer tells Newsweek that one recent Oscar winner inquired about the role of Parisian cryptologist Sophie Neveu, "and she could easily do it. But I think the audience would be let down a bit. They expect a French girl." As for the role of bullish cop Bezu Fache, Gordon reports that Jean Reno is on Grazer's short list.