Tom Hanks is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood (Agencies)

Actor Tom Hanks is being lined up to star in the movie adaptation of the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code. Director Ron Howard, who won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind, said Hanks was the man he wanted to play Professor Robert Langdon in the thriller.

"Tom is an exciting actor to watch thinking," Howard told Newsweek.

Meanwhile, Hanks' animated Christmas tale The Polar Express set a $2.1m (￡1.1m) record for the biggest opening at Imax cinemas in the US.

The film, which was shown on the giant screens of 59 Imax cinemas, beat the previous records of movies including Harry Potter and the Matrix sequels.

"We're extremely pleased in terms of its absolute performance in Imax," said co-chief executive Brad Wechsler.

"We've set a new weekend record for us, we've had a ton of sold-out shows and our advance sales to consumers have been great."

The film, which is said to have cost $270m (￡189.3m) to make, was directed by Forrest Gump's Robert Zemeckis with Hanks as an executive producer.

But The Polar Express failed to make a dent in the fortunes of the Pixar/Disney adventure The Incredibles which has remained at the top of the box office chart.

Hanks is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, with his presence in a movie almost guaranteeing box office success.

Hanks' representatives confirmed he was in negotiations to work on The Da Vinci Code, which would see him once again team up with Howard, who directed Hanks in Splash and Apollo 13.

The book by Dan Brown has become a publishing phenomenon, consistently topping book charts in the UK and US.

The proposed movie adaptation would almost certainly be a hit, with or without Hanks.

"We probably don't need his (Hanks') status from a box-office standpoint, but he gives Langdon instant legitimacy," said Howard.

(Agencies)

bankable : guaranteed to bring a profit（可獲利的）

team up with :（與……合作）