Tom Hanks and Dan Brown at the Angels & Demons world premiere

Ayelet Zurer, who plays heroine Vittoria Vetra, arrives at the Auditorium Parco Della Musica in Rome for the world premiere of Angels & Demons, the prequel to The Da Vinci Code. On the right of the picture is a member of the Swiss Guard. Either that or someone wearing a new piece by Alexander McQueen Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images

Tom Hanks, who plays symbologist Robert Langdon, arrives at the premiere. Star of Angels & Demons, he is also a man responsible for up to 30 miracles including the healing of the sick and the turning of hamburgers into ayurvedic mung bean tacos. Reports suggest he is soon to be the subject of his own Dan Brown novel Photograph: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters

Thanks to his multimillion-selling religious conspiracy novels, Dan Brown is so rich he can afford not one, but two McQueen outfits. And pay other people to wear them Photograph: Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images

Ayelet Zurer poses for the cameras and keeps an eye out for killer monks Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters

It's great to see Ewan McGregor back in an expensive piece of Hollywood fluff again. That said, by the look on his face, you know he's still thinking about The Island Photograph: Alessandro Di Meo/EPA

Angels & Demons director Ron Howard. Before the premiere, he reminded assembled guests, "Despite all the supposed controversies, despite all that's been said, remember that it's just a film." See how by supposedly defusing controversy, he manages to mention that his movie's controversial? Now that's a pro Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images

The gang's all here: Dan Brown, Tom Hanks, Ayelet Zurer, Ewan McGregor and Ron Howard get together for a group shot Photograph: Tony Gentile/Reuters

Co-chair of Sony Entertainment Pictures Amy Pascal attends the premiere. As head of the company behind Angels & Demons, she will be hoping that the film enjoys the box-office appeal that The Da Vinci Code did, raking in $758m ($501m) worldwide and ending up the fifth-highest grossing film in 2006 – despite or because of the Vatican's call for Catholics to boycott the film? Photograph: Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images

Nikolaj Lie Kaas and wife Anne Lindeberg. Kaas plays the succinctly-named Assassin in Angels & Demons Photograph: Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images

Here's Thure Lindhardt, who plays Chartrand of the Swiss Guard in the film – but where's his candystriped outfit? Furthermore, with Kaas that does make two Danes in the cast. Two. Hmmm. Was there not a mention of the two Danes of the Apocalypse in the book of Revelation? Quick! To the Vatican! Photograph: Elisabetta Villa/Getty Images

And finally, thank goodness, Ursula Andress pops on to the red carpet on her way to the 24-hour garage Photograph: Pasquale/Rex Features