Reno will play gruff detective Bezu Fache to Hanks' famed symbologist Robert Langdon in the film version of the novel that has dominated the best seller list for almost two years.

Scheduled to begin production in 2005 for a May 19, 2006 release, The Da Vinci Code will be directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Both won Oscars for their work on the 2001 film A Beautiful Mind.

Reno, who stars opposite Steve Martin in the soon-to-be-released remake of The Pink Panther, has appeared in numerous Hollywood films including Mission: Impossible, Ronin, the 1998 remake of Godzilla and French films such as Subway, The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita and Les Visiteurs.