This next story should probably be filed under “believe it when you see it”, but it’s still intriguing enough that I think it warrants a post. Dan Brown’s latest book The Lost Symbol hit stores back in September of 2009 and became the fastest selling adult novel in history. Months prior to that, however, Sony Pictures had already acquired the rights to adapt it for the big screen, with Tom Hanks reprising his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. Up until this past summer it was assumed that Ron Howard would return to complete the movie trilogy that he started with The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, but recently it was revealed that he would only take part as a producer. Now Sony is looking for someone else to helm the project, and word on the street is that their top choice is Never Let Me Go director Mark Romanek.

While this is far from a done deal, Deadline reports that Romanek is the current frontrunner and that negotiations will likely begin soon. He would be a pretty surprising choice considering that he doesn’t have any experience with blockbusters at all and his previous films have been mostly art house affairs. He has only directed three films to date and is still mostly known for his music video work.

Romanek also seems to shy away from big budget projects. He was supposed to direct The Wolfman for Universal but ended up leaving due to creative differences. He was also rumoured to be on the shortlist to direct The Wolverine, but later said that he read the script and it just wasn’t something he was passionate about. So are we to believe that The Lost Symbol is something he is passionate about? It seems like nothing more than paycheck if you ask me, but who knows, maybe he’ll bring something interesting to the table. Would you pay to see The Lost Symbol directed by Mark Romanek?