(Cover) - EN Movies - Ron Howard has decided not to direct The Lost Symbol, it has been reported.

The 57-year-old moviemaker directed 2006's The Da Vinci Code and 2009 smash Angels & Demons, both adaptations of thriller novels by best-selling American author Dan Brown.

Insiders predicted Ron would be on board for another adaptation, The Lost Symbol, which is the third book by Dan starring literary character Robert Langdon.

However, sources have claimed to Deadline that Ron isn't enthusiastic about returning to the franchise and has explained his decision to movie executives.

"Ron told Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton that he was not going to be directing Dan Brown's novels anymore. He just didn't want to do that thing over and over, the same character and the same stories," claimed the insider.

It is not yet known whether Tom Hanks, who played mystery-solving symbologist Robert in the first two movies, will be returning for The Lost Symbol. (C) Cover Media