TOM HANKS - HANKS BREAKS BANK WITH DAN BROWN FILM

TOM HANKS is set to top Hollywood's rich list with the biggest ever payment to a movie star.

The DA VINCI CODE actor is set to appear in the prequel novel by author DAN BROWN, ANGELS AND DEMONS, reprising his role as ROBERT LANGDON and raking in between £15 million and £25 million.

Hanks' normal fees are around £13 million, but bosses were keen to get him back into the role of Langdon, with director RON HOWARD in charge, following the success of the first movie.

The Angels and Demons story is set before the events of the Da Vinci Code, but follows a very similar plotline, throwing Langdon into an instant dilemma that he has to solve as the story progresses.

And Hanks, 50, is said to be more of a fan of the first novel than the second, in which Langdon is sent to Europe to help tackle an ancient society hell-bent on wreaking havoc.

Filming for the new movie is due to begin in January, according to reports.