Dan Brown’s follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code,” called “The Lost Symbol,” was released in stores back in September and once again revolves around the fictional, mystery-solving Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in a story taking place over a 12-hour period.

Tom Hanks immediately got his hands on a copy, stating that “it’s a page-turner. Dan Brown knows how to weave a tale. I was exhausted by the end of it.”

He added that if the third installment based on “The Lost Symbol” is greenlit, he would love to reprise his role as Langdon. “I’d love to if they’re going to do it,” he said. “I’m not going to walk away from that. If they make it again, I hope they ask me.”

Now, Cinemablend has learned that even though the second installment, “Angels and Demons,” took in only $133 million in the US on a $150 million budget, Columbia Pictures is still planning to fast track “The Lost Symbol” for a 2012 release. The reason is because “Angels” took in a whopping $352 million internationally for a $485 million worldwide gross.

Hanks is clearly on board, but the site says that director Ron Howard is currently unsure if he wants to return. Stay tuned.