Netflix is preparing to reveal the actor who will succeed Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon in The Secret of Secrets, marking a significant milestone for one of the streaming service’s most anticipated literary adaptations ahead of its imminent Prague shoot. According to series co-creator and showrunner Carlton Cuse, casting for the lead role is nearly complete as production gears up to begin on the eight-episode adaptation of Dan Brown‘s novel.
The novel is set largely in the Czech capital, making the production one of the few major international projects to use Prague as itself rather than as a stand-in for another European city. The series joins an already busy year for the Czech film industry, alongside high-profile productions including the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters spinoff Birdwatcher, the John le Carré adaptation Legacy of Spies, season four of Foundation and Martin Scorsese’s What Happens at Night.
A new Robert Langdon for the streaming era
Speaking to ScreenRant, Cuse confirmed that production is imminent and suggested the identity of the franchise’s new leading man will be announced in the near future.
“We’re getting ready to start filming,” Cuse said, adding that Netflix is close to confirming the actor who will take over the role made famous by Hanks in three feature films. Rather than adapting the story as another theatrical release, Netflix is producing The Secret of Secrets as an approximately eight-hour limited series.
The decision represents another evolution for Dan Brown‘s bestselling Robert Langdon franchise. Sony Pictures previously adapted The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno into feature films directed by Ron Howard and starring Hanks as the Harvard symbologist. While the trilogy proved commercially successful—grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide despite mixed-to-negative critical reception—the series concluded with Inferno in 2016.
The character returned to screens in 2021 with Peacock’s television adaptation of The Lost Symbol, which cast Ashley Zukerman as a younger Langdon. Although the series lasted only one season, it demonstrated the flexibility of the franchise in an episodic format, something Cuse and Brown now hope to expand with a more faithful, long-form adaptation.
Cuse, best known as co-creator of Lost, is serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer alongside Brown and Emma Forman. The adaptation also marks an unusually fast turnaround for one of Brown’s novels, entering development before The Secret of Secrets had even been published.
Unlike previous Langdon stories, Brown’s latest novel places Prague at the center of its mystery. The story follows Langdon as he attempts to protect a manuscript by scientist Katherine Solomon while navigating landmarks across the Czech capital, combining historical settings with contemporary scientific themes.
Prague prepares for another major international production
For Prague’s film industry, the approaching production represents another major international project in what has already become one of the busiest years for overseas filming in the Czech Republic.
Local industry sources have previously indicated that The Secret of Secrets is expected to begin filming in Prague from September, although Netflix has yet to announce an official production schedule. As with many high-profile projects, specific shooting locations have not been publicly confirmed, but Brown’s novel incorporates many real-world landmarks and local establishments.
The Prague setting distinguishes the project from many previous international productions that have used the Czech capital to double for cities such as Vienna, Berlin, Paris, or Moscow. Brown’s novel features recognizable locations including Old Town Square, the Klementinum, and other historic parts of the city, making authentic location filming a natural fit.
The series also arrives as Prague continues to benefit from renewed international interest following changes to the Czech audiovisual incentive system, which increased the country’s competitiveness for large-scale productions. Alongside Scorsese’s What Happens at Night, the Langdon series further strengthens an already crowded production calendar that has kept local studios, crews, and service companies in high demand throughout 2026.
For international audiences, the new series represents a fresh interpretation of one of modern thriller fiction’s most recognizable protagonists. For Prague, it offers another opportunity to showcase the city not simply as a picturesque backdrop, but as an essential part of the story itself.
With cameras expected to roll soon and Netflix preparing to reveal its new Robert Langdon, The Secret of Secrets is poised to become one of the Czech capital’s most closely-watched international productions during an especially busy year for foreign shoots.
