The mystery unfolds in a whole new way April 28, 2009 when THE DA VINCI CODE: Extended Cut debuts on Blu-ray Disc from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The two-disc extended cut will be available for the first time ever, exclusively on Blu-ray High-Def, for the suggested retail price of $38.96. THE DA VINCI CODE: Extended Cut includes 28 minutes of never-before-seen footage and all-new special features including the interactive picture-in-picture (I-PiP) feature "Unlocking the Code" which allows viewers to toggle between eight simultaneous I-PiP streams, new commentary on select scenes with director Ron Howard, and advanced BD-Live features including cinechat in-movie chat and access to $10.00 e-Movie Cash for ANGELS & DEMONS. The set also includes an exclusive high-def first look at Angels & Demons (in theaters May 15) -- a complete five minute scene from the upcoming film introduced by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (Best Director, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, 2002) and available only on THE DA VINCI CODE: Extended Cut Blu-ray.

THE DA VINCI CODE: Extended Cut, based on Dan Brown's acclaimed best-seller, is from Oscar-winning creative team of director Ron Howard, producers Brian Grazer and John Calley; and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. Howard directs a stellar international cast, including two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks (Best Actor, PHILADELPHIA, 1994; Best Actor, FORREST GUMP, 1995); Audrey Tautou (AMELIE, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS); Sir Ian McKellen (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy); Alfred Molina (SPIDER-MAN 2, FRIDA); Paul Bettany (A BEAUTIFUL MIND) and Jean Reno (THE PROFESSIONAL).

In THE DA VINCI CODE, noted symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Hanks) and police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Tautou) go on a heart-racing quest to unearth the biggest cover-up in human history. Langdon is called to the Louvre Museum late one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years. The pair set off on a frantic quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.

Director Ron Howard employed a wide range of subtle visual effects in the film, mandating the various houses (which also included The Senate, Brainstorm Digital and Double Negative), through overall visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, to bring it to life without overly focusing on any of the CGI sequences used to support the narrative. Mark Breakspear, visual effect supervisor at Rainmaker UK, explains, "It's not your typical visual effects movie. There are visual effects in it, but they are so woven into the story that they come and go." Gary Brozenich, visual effects supervisor at MPC, concurs, adding, "I think the real challenge was that it was broken down into very challenging large shots, but very small sequences. Sometimes they were so complex, you would build a pipeline around them for a large show, where here we were creating huge numbers of assets and strong rendering pipelines around single shots."

Special Features Include:

-- BD-Live Features:
* cinechat – In-movie chat feature allows you to create "virtual" viewing parties and chat with your friends through your internet-connected Blu-ray player.
* $10 e-Movie Cash for ANGELS AND DEMONS, accessed instantly via BD-Live (also available by mail for those without BD-Live)
-- Exclusive First Look at ANGELS & DEMONS, introduced by Ron Howard, featuring five minutes of footage from the film that can only be seen on THE DA VINCI CODE: Extended Cut Blu-ray.