M6 is launching “The Lost Symbol” this evening, a new series between thriller and adventure which is none other than the adaptation of the eponymous novel by Dan Brown. This prequel to the “Da Vinci Code”, which features a rejuvenated Robert Langdon, is it worth the detour?
What is it about ?
The early adventures of Robert Langdon, then professor of symbolism at Harvard, who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to find his missing mentor. With the help of the CIA, Langdon uncovers a chilling conspiracy long before the events of The Da Vinci Code.
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Who is it with?
To embody a younger version of Robert Langdon, camped in Da Vinci Code and other Ron Howard feature films by Tom Hanks, the production of The Lost Symbol has set its sights on 38-year-old Australian comedian Ashley Zukerman, seen in Succession , A Teacher, and the Netflix horror trilogy Fear Street.
Facing him, viewers will find Eddie Izzard (Ocean’s Twelve, The Riches, Hannibal) as Peter Solomon, Langdon’s college mentor, and Valorie Curry, seen in Kevin Williamson’s thriller Following, as Katherine, Peter’s daughter.
Beau Knapp (Death Wish, The Signal), Rick Gonzalez, well known to Arrow fans, and Sumalee Montano complete the main cast of the series.
peacock Valorie Curry, Eddie Izzard, and Ashley Zukerman in The Lost Symbol
Well worth a look ?
Interpreted three times in the cinema by Tom Hanks in 2006, 2009, and 2016 in The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, and Inferno, the symbologist Robert Langdon, born from the imagination of the writer Dan Brown, finally has the right to his TV series with The Lost Symbol, adapted from the novel The Lost Symbol.
First considered for the big screen, a few years before the start of Inferno, this “prequel” to The Da Vinci Code finally saw the light of day last year in the United States on the Peacock streaming platform with Ashley Zukerman as a rejuvenated Langdon, who is seen teaching symbology – or symbology – at Harvard. And that he already knows how to solve puzzles like no other.
The plot of the first episode – of the ten that make up the first and only season of The Lost Symbol – begins when Robert is invited by his former mentor, Peter Solomon, to join him at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington as part of a conference. But when he arrives there, the Harvard professor understands that he has been trapped and that Solomon has actually been kidnapped by a certain Mal’akh, who seems interested in a mysterious portal and is determined to play with him.
Helped by Katherine Solomon, Peter’s daughter, an agent from the Capitol, but also from the CIA, Langdon will therefore have to gather all his knowledge to decipher the many codes and enigmas that present themselves to him, and thus save his friend. Revealing in passing a terrible conspiracy that could well involve the Freemasons.
peacock
Robert Langdon leads the investigation with Capitol Agent Alfonso Nuñez (Rick Gonzalez).
Although we find the ingredients that made Dan Brown’s success (with more than 235 million copies in print of his novels worldwide), namely puzzles, codes, and large-scale plots, this adaptation of lost symbol developed in series by Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie (the Scream series, Outer Banks) lacks rhythm and bite. So much so that the suspense is not always there.
The height for a Benjamin Gates or Uncharted story supposed to stage a real race against time against a backdrop of mysteries and treasure hunts.
The story, which takes place over a much shorter time in the novel and has been deliberately diluted to fit over ten episodes, would certainly have deserved to be tightened up and adapted to the screen in the form of a TV movie or a mini. -series of only four or six episodes.
Despite these flaws, which make The Lost Symbol an average thriller, quickly seen and quickly forgotten, fans of Dan Brown’s universe could well find their account. After all, the various puzzles are pretty well-oiled. The villain of the story has some surprises in store. And the series, carried by a convincing cast, including Ashley Zukerman who does not have to be ashamed of his performance, allows you to discover new facets of Robert Langdon.
The complete The Lost Symbol is already available on Salto.