Trivia for
Angels & Demons (2009) More at IMDbPro »

• This movie became the first big-screen casualty of the Hollywood writer's strike in 2007, because Akiva Goldsman's script still needed work, and he was on strike with the Writers Guild of America. So, production of the movie had to be postponed.
  
  
• The production had to build a scale replica of St. Peter's Square since Vatican officers banned the movie from being filmed in its grounds.
  
  
• Although the novel upon which this film is based is set before the events of the novel "The Da Vinci Code", the film has been written as a sequel to follow after events in The Da Vinci Code (2006).
  
  
• Naomi Watts was originally cast as Vittoria.
  
  
• Alfred Molina who played Aringarosa in The Da Vinci Code (2006) did the voice over for this movie's first trailer.
  
  
• Thure Lindhardt was nearly cast as Silas in The Da Vinci Code (2006). Ron Howard liked his audition so much that he offered him the role of Chartrand in this movie.
  
  
• As well as providing the voice over for the film's teaser trailer (using an American accent) Alfred Molina (who played Aringarosa in the previous movie The Da Vinci Code (2006)) provides the opening voice over for Angels & Demons (2009), this time in his native English accent.
  
  
• Ron Howard has said in interviews he plans on completing a Robert Langdon trilogy by filming the next story in the series, as yet unpublished.
  
  
• Ewan McGregor's character in the book was Italian. the name was changed to Camerlengo Patrick McKenna for the movie to reflect McGregor's obvious lack of Italian heritage.
  
  
• Clint Eastwood expressed interest in directing the film, but Ron Howard was contractually obligated to it because of his contract from The Da Vinci Code (2006).
  
  
• Five minutes were cut after the film received an R rating.
  
  
• Ayelet Zurer didn't read the book till after finishing on the film. She felt her portrayal was identical to Brown's character.
  
  
• Leonardo DiCaprio turned down the role of Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. He declined despite being offered the role personally by Tom Hanks.
  
  
• Ron Howard took a break during preproduction on this film to work on Frost/Nixon (2008).
  
  
• Tom Hanks hired David Koepp for rewrites.
  
  
• During filming in Rome, the crew and equipment were blocking the passage of a bridal party on it's way to the church for a wedding. Upon discovering this situation, Tom Hanks personally escorted the party through the filming area and rallied the crew to remove the obstacles in the way. After the bride was delivered to the church (on time), her grateful family invited Hanks and director Ron Howard to stay for the wedding ceremony. Unfortunately, Hanks and Howard's busy filming schedule prevented them from accepting the offer.
  
  
• In the previous film, Langdon remarks to Sophie Neuveau that perhaps she cured his claustrophobia by laying her hands upon him. It appears that she did so indeed, as in this movie Langdon is twice confined in a small, glass room with poor ventilation and seems unfazed. He also seems fine when he needs to squeeze through a small alley between two very close walls in his search for the bomb.
  
  
• When the camera pans around the head of the apostles in St. Peters Square, one of the apostles looks very much like Ron Howard.
  
  
• Several cameos can be seen in the movie. A photo of Sophie Neveu (played by Audrey Tautou in The Da Vinci Code (2006)) stands on a shelf at Langdon's house. Ron Howard's wife, Cheryl, plays a CERN scientist and his father Rance plays a British cardinal.
  
  
• The 'God particle' referred to in the movie is the Higgs-Boson particle, theorized in 1963-64. The LHC in Geneva is indeed seeking out the nature of this particle, which is claimed to give mass to all matter in the Universe.
  
  
• Tom Hanks underwent strenuous training for Landon's introductory scene in the pool.
  
  
• At the very beginning where the Colombia Girl is standing holding aloft the torch, it flickers like the anti-matter.
  
  
• As with the other two films in the trilogy, author Dan Brown named main character Robert Langdon after John Langdon, a close friend and typography master who worked with Brown on an ambigram logo his book, "Angels And Demons".
  
  
• When Langdon is in his office speaking with the Vatican employee, you can see a "Phillips Exeter Academy" flag on the wall. Phillips Exeter is the school where Angels & Demons author Dan Brown taught and once attended, located in New Hampshire, and where Langdon is written to have attended in the novels.
  
  
• The papal helicopter is a Bell 222, the type formerly of "Airwolf" (1984) fame.
  
  

• SPOILER: The bookcase Langdon knocks over while suffocating in the Library Vault has a label on the side showing it contains books by Leonardo Da Vinci, a clear reference to the previous film.
  
  

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