Netflix has solved one major piece of its latest Dan Brown mystery, casting Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age, The Plot Against America) as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in its currently untitled ‘The Secret of Secrets’ series.
Morgan Spector takes over the role most famously played by Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Cast Away) in the big-screen adaptations of ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Angels & Demons’ and ‘Inferno’. This time, however, Langdon’s globe-trotting puzzle-solving gets room to breathe across an eight-hour television series rather than being squeezed into a two-hour film.
The story follows Langdon as he races against ancient forces and the clock to rescue a missing scientist and recover her groundbreaking manuscript. Its discoveries could permanently alter humanity’s understanding of the mind, placing futuristic science, mystical lore and some very old secrets on a collision course.
“Morgan is a truly wonderful actor whose work is always filled with intelligence, thoughtfulness, and humanity,” said co-creator and showrunner Carlton Cuse. “He’s the perfect fit for Robert Langdon — a brilliant academic whose curiosity, intelligence, and intellect are the tools of his trade.”
The series is based on Dan Brown’s 2025 novel ‘The Secret of Secrets’, the sixth book to feature Langdon. The character made his debut in ‘Angels & Demons’ in 2000, before returning in ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘The Lost Symbol’, ‘Inferno’, ‘Origin’ and ‘The Secret of Secrets’.
Brown’s books have sold more than 250 million copies in 56 languages, while the Robert Langdon film franchise has earned approximately $2.24 billion worldwide. That is a rather substantial trail of clues for Netflix to follow.
Cuse said the longer television format gives the team a chance to explore the scale of Brown’s storytelling more fully.
“They’re incredibly propulsive. They’re also deeply thoughtful and full of big ideas. But they don’t fit easily into the two-hour movie form. The chance to adapt one as an eight-hour series felt like an opportunity to fully realize the breadth and scope of what Dan does on the screen in the best possible way.”
The thriller will be set in Prague and is described as both a love story and an exploration of human consciousness. Cuse co-created the adaptation with Brown and will serve as writer and showrunner. Both executive produce alongside Emma Forman for Genre-Arts and Zoe Robyn.
Deadline previously reported that Rebecca Hall (The Beauty, The Night House) is poised to take the female lead, although Netflix has not yet confirmed her casting. Morgan Spector’s involvement is not expected to affect his role as George Russell in ‘The Gilded Age’, should the HBO drama return for a fifth season.
Netflix’s currently untitled ‘The Secret of Secrets’ series does not yet have a premiere date. If you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date. Visit Never Miss.
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