Sony announced last week that "The Lost Symbol" was on its' way to theaters. The film rights to Dan Brown's third Robert Langdon novel was bought by Sony last February, with the film adaptation to be released by Columbia Pictures in 2012. Screenwriter Steven Knight, who adapted the novel "Shutter Island", will be handling the writing chores. There was no official announcement regarding director Ron Howard and star Tom Hanks, but they are expected to sign on in the coming months. Brian Grazer and John Calley will produce for Imagine Entertainment.

"The Lost Symbol" was originally set for release on November 2006, and the publication date was pushed back an additional several times. When it finally debuted on September 15, 2009, it demolished sales records and sold over a million copies the day after it arrived in American stores. The third Robert Langdon novel was #1 on Amazon.com's Canadian and British sites; Barnes & Noble and Waterstone also reported the novel  setting new sales records the day it was released.   

"The Lost Symbol" is expected to follow previous Dan Brown adaptations, and have a Memorial Day release in 2012.