The puzzle-solving character from the Da Vinci Code novel is getting a new small-screen adaptation. In 2021, Peacock attempted to bring Robert Langdon to an episodic form with the series The Lost Symbol. Based on the 2009 novel by Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol starred Ashley Zukerman as young Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon as he must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save his kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy. In addition to Zukerman, The Lost Symbol also starred Valorie Curry, Sumalee Montano, Rick Gonzalez, Eddie Izzard and Beau Knapp.
Unfortunately, The Lost Symbol failed to resonate with audiences and the show was canceled after one season. Netflix is hoping to find the pulse of viewers that Peacock couldn’t quite put their finger on. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Netflix is developing a show on The Secret of Secrets, which is the latest novel from author Dan Brown. Carlton Cuse, of Pulse and Lost, will be on the project as the showrunner and will executive produce along with Brown. The two will also be writers on the series and Emma Forman of Genre-Arts joins them as an EP.
The Secret of Secrets is the sixth book in the popular Robert Langdon saga, which began with The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code drew controversy for the nature of its religious content and spawned a film series from Tom Hanks and Ron Howard. In The Secret of Secrets, Langdon “races against ancient forces and time to rescue a missing scientist and her groundbreaking manuscript whose discoveries have the power to forever change humanity’s understanding of the mind,” per a logline. The upcoming Netflix series “will blend futuristic science with mystical lore.”
Our own Alex Maidy reviewed Peacock’s The Lost Symbol before it premiered and while he found that it tackled some aspects of Dan Brown’s novels better than the big-screen adaptations starring Tom Hanks, it was still lacking. “The Lost Symbol does a far better job at bringing the intricate puzzle-solving and conspiracy elements to screen but still fails to capture the Indiana Jones-esque tone that Dan Brown’s novels manage to evoke,” Maidy wrote. “All of the building blocks are here but there is just something missing. Fans of the books may find this adaptation to be a far more satisfying take on the source material but it still fails to be a rollicking adventure.” You can check out the rest of Alex Maidy’s review right here.
