Tom Hanks? .... TOM HANKS??

I used to like Tom Hanks.

Apollo 13...great movie.
Forrest Gump...great movie.
Philadelphia...great movie.
Toy Story...fantastic movie.

Heck, I even liked all 25 of his romantic comedies with Meg Ryan (save Joe vs. the Volcano, of course).

I think it was around Cast Away that I started to get sick of him. It's not even his fault. The media destroyed Tom Hanks. All of the accolades showered upon him, all the Oscar talk for that movie and it ended up being a big disappointment.

One of the major appeals of Tom Hanks during the 1990's was his charm and his seeming ability to stay clear of the normal Hollywood garbage. He seemed...not ABOVE it, but just...not worried by it. Over the past several years, he has seemingly become more and more snarky...more snooty.

And then there's this.

One of the most successful books of the past couple years and he will be playing the main character in Ron Howard's movie adaptation. To be honest, I'm really disappointed. Robert Langdon is more of an Indiana Jones-type character, less sensitive, more rugged. While I read the book (after tearing through Angels & Demons), I certainly did not picture Forrest Gump as the protagonist.

Not only that, but it also creates the unlikeliness of us seeing Angels & Demons come to the silver screen, which (in my not-so-humble opinion) is a superior story. The Da Vinci Code is the sexier pick because of its implications, but story-wise A&D is better.

The box office draw of the book is going to be large enough that you don't really need the mega-star to draw the audience. I would much rather see them go out on a limb and pick someone who will portray the character. We have past examples to draw from: The Firm, The Pelican Brief...heck...just about ANY wildly popular John Grisham novel (except Runaway Jury...that was good). What I'm trying to say is that when you cast a large actor in a role that has been defined in the minds of the readers who read the book, oftentimes, their personality overshadows the characterization that the author attempted to develop in the book.

If they had to have a star, they at least could have selected one who fit the role a bit better. Take your pick:
George Clooney
Hugh Jackman
Russell Crowe
Viggo Mortensen

...and that's just to name a few...