The highly anticipated Ron Howard film, The Da Vinci Code, will open the 59th Cannes Film Festival on May 17th in its french premiere, just two days after the world-wide release of the movie.
Inspired by the best-selling book from Dan Brown, the film stars Tom Hanks, Jean Reno, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina and Paul Bettany. The movie is being produced by Brian Grazer and John Calley for Columbia Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. The shoot, in some of Europe's most glamorous locations, inlcuding Paris and London, was dogged with problems, leading the team to substitute Lincoln cathedral for Westminster cathedral as filming after they were refused clearence. The Catholic society Opus Dei are also said to be sueing filmmakers for showing their organisation in a bad light in the film.
The book sold more than 30 million copies around the world, and has been translated into 40 different languages. | 
