Da Vinci filming starts in Scotland
Tom Hanks is expected on set at a historic chapel today as movie makers begin filming scenes for the Hollywood version of international best-seller The Da Vinci Code.
A medieval church in Midlothian, Scotland is being used for the £53m (€78m) adaptation of the murder mystery by Dan Brown.
Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin, near Edinburgh, has been closed to the public for four days while filming takes place.
Hanks will play the lead role as Professor Robert Langdon, with Amelie star Audrey Tautou playing French investigator Sophie Neveu.
Oscar winner Ron Howard, who made Apollo 13 and current big screen effort Cinderella Man, will direct the movie.
The historic church has found new popularity because of its association with the book – visitor numbers have soared by 56% to 70,000 since its publication.
The book’s plot suggests the 15th century chapel was built to house the secret of the Holy Grail.
Trustees of the site, which is famed for its intricate carvings, have said location fees alone could generate £100,000 (€147,000).
The novel links a murder in Paris and clues in paintings by Renaissance master Leonardo Da Vinci to a secret society set up to protect the descendants of a purported marriage between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
Despite being derided by the Catholic Church and many historians, Brown’s book has sold 25 million copies worldwide and been translated into 44 languages.
The film is due for release in May 2006.
