After alarming clergy across the world with its casually blasphemous concepts, The Da Vinci Code is now all set to become a motion picture project.

A Sony Pictures production, the team is being thrown together as you read this, and already on board are the terrific trio who won so convincingly three years ago at the Oscars, with their pop-cerebral presentation of A Beautiful Mind: director Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman.

Sony bought the film rights for $3.3 million before the Dan Brown novel became a publishing phenomenon, and is now obviously eager to cash in as the book's popularity continues to soar.

The hardback version is now in its 86^th week in the New York Times bestseller list, and it is also currently Britain's No 1 paperback. The book currently has an estimated print-run of 17 million worldwide, in 42 languages. 

Now, the starring role seems to be heading towards yet another Oscar-favourite, two-time winner Tom Hanks.

The negotiations are on, in earnest, reports The Daily Telegraph.

Ron Howard is thought to have also considered Harrison Ford, George Clooney and Hugh Jackman, for the lead role of symbologist Robert Langdon, but said Hanks was perfect as much of the action was cerebral, solving riddles and cracking codes. He said, 'Tom is an exciting actor to watch thinking.'

Filming begins next year for a 2006 release.

Photograph: Getty Images