“Code” is sign for spinoff producers

By Eric J. Lyman

CANNES (Hollywood Reporter) – Call it “The Da Vinci Queue.”
With the film based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel meeting
with lukewarm reviews but overwhelmingly enthusiastic box
office numbers, there is no shortage of would-be companion
films standing in line to cash in on the notoriety and success
of “The Da Vinci Code.”

The film made box office history by raking in a near-record
$224 million in worldwide receipts on its opening weekend.

Some of the related films are documentaries that explore
and expand on some of the issues brought up in the original
(such as “Secrets of the Code”), and some flat-out deny the
entire premise of the film (“The Charade of the Mona Lisa,” for
example, or “The Dark Side of the Da Vinci Code”). Even the
Vatican has played a role, producing a documentary called “The
Da Vinci Code — A Masterful Deception” that documents what it
says are errors in the film and the book.

But most of the copy-cat films are old-fashioned thrillers
that seek to appeal to the same viewers attracted to the Ron
Howard-directed blockbuster, such as “The Da Vinci Treasure,”
“The Michelangelo Code,” and “Stealing the Mona Lisa.”

All told, there are at least a dozen films in some way
related to “The Da Vinci Code” being shopped around at the
Cannes Film Festival and the parallel market. And that’s not to
mention more than two dozen other films — most made for
television or released straight to video — already completed
in the time between the success of the novel became apparent
and the premiere of the film in Cannes on May 17. Among those
titles are “Time Machine: Beyond The Da Vinci Code,” “Exposing
The Da Vinci Code,” and “The Da Vinci Code Decoded.”

For its part, Sony Entertainment says it isn’t losing any
sleep over the slate of films one could say are at the very
least “inspired” by “The Da Vinci Code.”

“You know, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery,” said Jim Kennedy, Sony’s head of corporate
communications. “I just look at it as a testament to the
cultural phenomenon this story represents. I don’t think it’s a
surprise at all, and if I had to guess I’d even speculate that
these films will just attract more attention to the original
film.”

The writers, producers, and filmmakers of the newer films
are taking steps to differentiate themselves from the pack.

“After ‘The Da Vinci Code’ book was published, there were
something like 23 books inspired by it and ‘Secrets of the
Code’ outsold the other 22 combined,” said Richard Guardian,
from Lightening Entertainment, which produced the documentary
of that name. The book, which was a New York Times best-seller,
explores some of the mysteries brought up in the original, but
in greater depth.

“I like to tell people that this is a book with some
pedigree,” Guardian said. “It’s not something slapped together
in a few weeks in order to capitalize on the success of ‘The Da
Vinci Code.”‘

“Stealing the Mona Lisa” is a romantic thriller based on a
real 1911 heist of the famous painting that plays a key role in
“The Da Vinci Code.” Though the story is not directly related
to that of the Sony blockbuster, Claudio Braslavsky, director
of marketing and acquisitions for America Video Films, the
movie’s distributor, said the timing of his film’s release is
not a coincidence.

“I think we have a really good film, but I also think that
timing is important and that the film would attract less
attention if it were released at a different time,” Braslavsky
said.

“The Charade of the Mona Lisa,” which is being shopped
around both as a documentary and a film, also has a long story.
Author Sharron Connelly says she has been researching the story
since 1984 and she has uncovered her own interpretation of a
code based on Leonardo’s work, including the theory that
Leonardo painted himself into the “Last Supper.”

“There really is a ‘Da Vinci Code’ but Dan Brown got it
wrong,” Connelly said, adding that she is in discussions with a
British group to produce the documentary version of her
research. “My story tells the true code he produced.”

According to Angelo di Renzo, a retired film critic,
author, and adjunct professor at Rome’s Catholic University,
the coattail phenomenon is a common one.

“Sometimes these things can lead to an entire genre,” di
Renzo said. “In the past it was this way with films based on
comic books, or based on airline disasters. If someone
discovers a formula that works, do you really expect people not
to try to copy it?”

And that is true even if the one doing the copying is the
original source itself. Basking in the glow of the successful
opening weekend of “The Da Vinci Code,” Sony is already
planning to bring Dan Brown’s other bestseller — “Angels and
Demons” — to the screen. Quoted in London’s Times, Sony
vice-chairman Jeff Blake said the studio was interested in
producing a follow-up film based on the story, which features
the same protagonist played by Tom Hanks in the film.

“We are very interested in filming Angels and Demons,”
Blake said. “We hope that the relationship with Dan Brown will
be a long one. That could be the next project.”

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter