As Hollywood scrambles to make deals before the 31st October expiration of the WGA pact, one fast - tracked project has almost flown under the radar, though it could become one of the biggest films assembled during this frenzied period..

Columbia Pictures is plotting a February start date for Angels & Demons, Ron Howard’s follow - up to the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, with Tom Hanks back in his as a conspiracy - unraveling professor.. The Municipality of Rome on Thursday approved the required permits for the film adaptation of Angels & Demons, meaning the hotly anticipated follow - up to last year’s hit The Da Vinci Code will begin filming early next year..

With the permits now in place, filming on Angels & Demons is set to begin the 18th Febuary, mostly in Rome.. The Ron Howard - led team has been denied access to film in the Vatican, where much of the story takes place.. But the crew has reportedly been scouting other locations in Rome for months, and the local media has reported that they will use a studio set for the Vatican scenes..

When The Da Vinci Code over - performed at the box office ( Despite largely negative reviews ), Columbia Pictures announced that the book’s big screen sequel, Angels & Demons, would hit theaters on the 19th December 2008.. The date seemed so far away a year and a half ago, but now it’s quickly approaching..

Producers Brian Grazer and John Calley, Col, Howard and writer Akiva Goldsman are seeking to finalize the shooting script before next week’s deadline.. Meanwhile, the Angels team have begun casting around Tom Hanks, who will reprise his role as Robert Langdon..

The film guarantees a manic year for Howard, who will be multi - tasking to get the picture done.. Howard will shoot Angels & Demons as he supervises editing and post - production on the screen adaptation of the Peter Morgan play Frost / Nixon.. That film, which Howard wrapped shooting last week, has tentatively been slotted for a late 2008 release..

This means Howard could have a double - pronged post - production schedule and will have two high - profile projects opening in a relatively short time..

Hanks’ character, a Harvard - based expert on religious symbols, this time sleuths a mystery that involves a secret society and a conspiracy that leads to Vatican City and threatens the future of the Catholic Church..

Dan Brown wrote Angels & Demons prior to The Da Vinci Code, but after the first film grossed $218 million domestic and $758 million worldwide, the studio made a seven - figure deal with Goldsman to turn the earlier novel into a sequel..

I’ve always found The Da Vinci Code to be overrated.. BUT, Angels & Demons is a far better and more interesting read.. It’s a classic race against time to find a hidden bomb in the Vatican and hunt down a serial killer in Rome.. The reason why this story is more interesting to me is the multi - layered debate about which is to be trusted - science or religion.. But like The Da Vinci Code, I’m not sure if the action in the story will translate well to the big screen.. Angels and Demons, published in 2000, was Browns first book in the series.. You can read an excerpt from the novel on author Dan Brown’s website..

If all goes according to plan, Angels & Demons should arrive in theaters the 19th December 2008, but I’m guessing a early 2009 release..