While some of the desired filming locations for the Da Vinci Code was denied, others places were given the A-OK, but with some limitations, of course. In this article, you will learn some of the inside facts regarding the production of the movie, including some of the restrictions concerning one of the most coveted filming sites, which played an important part in the original novel by Dan Brown.
While Paul Bettany won the role of Silas, others considered for the part included Christopher Eccleston (of 28 Days Later and G.I. Joe) and Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson.
The director originally wanted to film a scene inside Kings College Library just like the book, but representatives didn’t want to close off a section of the library for production.
The Da Vinci Code served as the opening film for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.
Filming in the Louvre Museum, the crew was not allowed to shine lights on the Mona Lisa, so a replica was used during the filming. The scenes involving the blood and mysterious writings could not take place on the wooden floor of the museum, so these scenes took place at Pinewood Studios outside London. In the end of the filming process, five replicas of the Mona Lisa were used.
According to Jean Reno, Dan Brown wrote the part of Captain Fache with him in mind.
The French President Jaques Chirac invited Brian Grazer and Ron Howard to what they thought would be a five-minute meeting. After conversing for an hour, he told him to speak to him if they had problems getting to film in the Lourve. The President also suggested that Reno receive a pay raise and that his daughter’s best friend, who was an actress, should be case as the part of Sophie Neveu.
Inside the Temple Church, there is a gargoyle that was modeled after Ron Howard’s face.
Authors of The Templar Revelation (Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince) had cameo roles, where they are sitting in the London bus with Sophie and Robert.
Because they weren’t allowed to film at Saint-Sulpice, the crew had to shoot scenes in front of a green screen using a digital replica of the church that was inserted into the background.
At first, Ron Howard felt that Bill Paxton would have been perfect for the role of Robert Langdon. Paxton was interested in the role, but had to turn it down because of scheduling conflicts. Other actors considered for the Da Vinci Code included Hugh Jackman (of ‘X-Men’), Ralph Fiennes, and George Clooney (from ‘Ocean 11’). Russell Crowe was also seriously looked at for the role, but Howard chose a long time friend , Tom Hanks.
In Part III of the Trivia and Facts of the Da Vinci Code, you will learn just how many people die in the film and just how they met their fate. Other trivia to look forward to includes the filming locations for the movie, movie references versus the book, and when you can see the cameo appearance of the author of the book , Dan Brown.