I’ve never read Dan Brown’s book or enjoyed the film adaptations made from them, but I ended up sitting down with the huge doorstop version of “The Lost Symbol,” his latest adventure with Robert Langdon, a few months ago.

And it’s great.

The story focuses on Langdon as he attempts to save his kidnapped mentor by uncovering the hidden symbol left by the Masons in Washington D.C. A symbol that is rumored to offer the secret to incredible power.

So basically it has the potential to be a good version of National Treasure.

It’s boilerpot stuff for sure, but it seems like it would make a far better film (at least based on what I’ve seen from The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons). There’s more action, and Langdon is a catalyst for it instead of just standing around deciphering things all the time. Despite using the same Langdon + enigmatic puppet master + brunette leading scientist lady, the novel itself seems like steadier ground for a transition to the screen.

I wish I could have written it up for Print to Projector before this, but I’ll take good news any day of the week.

Variety is reporting that Steven Knight – the writer of Eastern Promises and Dirty Pretty Things - has been hired to write the adaptation for Columbia. This is great news considering the caliber of writing that Knight brings to the table. It will be interesting to see him take on source material (because his uncredited credit for Shutter Island is not going to be much indication), and his interpersonal dramatic scenes are as gripping as any writer’s out there today.

I hate to say it, but it’s also really refreshing to see them move away from Akiva Goldsman. His batting average as a screenwriter is terrible.

With a better base and a talented writer, this one might be the first threequel in history to be born from crap and still wind up being great.

High hopes.