Renowned symbologist Robert Langdons back for another mystery to crack, butInfernosees in less than great shape.

Director Ron Howard, whos now on his third Langdon movie, attacks Langdons apocalyptic visions with evident relish.

I really liked your apocalyptic visions.

I got the sense that you enjoyed making those.

I hadnt planned on it it wasnt really in the script.

But the other cool thing is, he was actually inventing the modern horror genre.

And that sort of began to suggest another sensibility.

It guided Hans Zimmer into something that was cooler.

I dont know, that seemed to suggest another kind of editing pace.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Well, Botticelli, he [painted the Inferno map], and its simplistic, but its gory!

[Laughs] And a little pornographic.

There were a couple of things we didnt even make apply.

It was a time of political upheaval, and real revolution.

And he had this profound unrequited love for Beatrice.

What did it lead to?

One of the defining works of literature in western culture.

But what was fuelling it?

His intellect, sure: he was a genius.

But his also his heart, his gut, his balls, you know?

Thats interesting to me.

So its one of the fascinations with doing these Dan Brown movies.

If they care to.

Otherwise, its good fun.

Ive been thinking about the popularity of Dan Browns novels, and the timing of them.

It cuts the world down to size a bit.

Its created a vacuum, and a fanatical, violent reaction is underway.

As Dan says, in our era, due to technology, a single actor can create unparalelled havoc.

Thats a terrifying, very real proposition.

The others were a little more Hitchcockian.

This is a little more immediate, and kind of like a European thriller.

But when Hans saw the movie, he said weve done something very different here, Ron.

Can you talk a little bit about the process of adaptation?

Because obviously, the final third is quite different from the book.

Yeah well, you know, we agonised over it.

Including conversations with Dan.

And I really want my obligation is to the movie audiences.

Thats adaptation isnt it?

You have to make it work cinematically, in the end.

When I work on Dans books, everyone says theyre instant adaptations, but theyre not.

I feel the same way about some of the movies based on real events that Ive done.

I couldve done an entire television series on the Nikki Lauder, James Hunt racing season.

There were so many twists and turns that I couldnt do.

AndApollo 13 there couldve been six hours, not two and a half.

But at the same time, I love both of those films because theyre movie-going experiences.

They work on a big screen.

Do you think thats why we need cinema in the days of box-sets andGame Of Thrones?

[Pauses for thought] Storytellers have to adapt for their audience over and over and over again.

And theyre always applying technology in new and exciting ways.

Im sure the stories got a lot more interesting when there was a campfire to sit around.

Im sure when they learned to draw on the cave walls, that enhanced everything.

It blew everybodys minds, Im sure.

So you know, audiences are gonna tell us what they want to see.

That doesnt mean you dont want to see the next season ofFargo.

It doesnt mean you dont loveThe Night Managerand you want to see it all over one weekend.

We as storytellers just have to learn to work with these various formats.

you’re free to figure out how to make it and actually get it to people.

It wont just be your friends in your living room with a Super 8 projector.

If its a good, tight two-hour narrative, then theres a place for that as well.

So theres all of that, but thats just commerce.

Those are economic patterns, marketplace pressures that influence things.

But in terms of being a storyteller?

This is the greatest moment of my life, in terms of whats possible.

Nick Arcels done a really great job with the movie.

Its early days in the edit, but were all confident and excited.

Idris [Elba] and Matthew McConaughey are really strong in it, so thats really going well.

The television side, now, wed like to get going as well.

Ron Howard, thank you very much.

Infernois out in UK cinemas now.