Columbia Moving Forward for Sequel to Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol

While Columbia Pictures is prepping for the May 15 release of the Ron Howard-directed Tom Hanks-starrer Angels & Demons, the studio will move quickly to get the ball rolling on the third installment of the franchise. Dan Brown has announced that his next installment of the Da Vinci Code series is The Lost Symbol, which will be published in the U.S. and Canada by Doubleday on September 15, 2009. The first print run will be a whopping 5 million copies. Sources said that Brown has completed his manuscript.

The announcement was made by Sonny Mehta, chairman/editor in chief of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. "This is a great day for readers and booksellers," said Mehta.