THE DA VINCI CODE - ANGELS & DEMONS BEGINS FEBRUARY

Angels & Demons - the prequel to The Da Vinci Code - is to start production in February, it has emerged.

According to Variety, director Ron Howard is to fast-track the project ahead of the upcoming Writers Guild Association strike, set to begin on October 31st.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is reportedly liaising with Howard and producers Brian Grazer and John Calley to finalise a shooting script before the strike starts.

Tom Hanks is set to reprise his role as Harvard professor Robert Langdon, with a plot not drastically dissimilar to that of The Da Vinci Code.

In Angels & Demons, written and released before the staggering success of The Da Vinci Code, Langdon uncovers a mystery involving a secret society and a conspiracy that threatens the future of the Catholic Church, travelling to Vatican City rather than London and Edinburgh on this occasion.

Variety reports that Howard will direct Angels & Demons while supervising editing and post-production on the screen adaptation of Peter Morgan's play Frost/Nixon.

The Da Vinci Code grossed a huge $758 million in worldwide ticket sales, despite mixed reviews.