Once again the Vatican is afraid of Hollywood

From darkhorizons, The Vatican has officially denied Sony Pictures "Angels and Demons" the right to shoot inside any of Rome's churches or from entering Vatican City says The Hollywood Reporter.

Based on the novel by Dan Brown ("The Da Vinci Code"), much of the film's action has Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) running around the streets and churches of Rome trying to stop four cardinals from being gruesomely killed, one every hour, by an Illuminati assassin.

Much of the film's final act takes place within Vatican City and in the catacombs underneath St. Peter's Basilica. The Vatican previously denied the production permission to shoot inside St. Peter's itself.

The new denial stops plans to shoot at two other churches - Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria - where scenes from the books take place.

Diocese of Rome spokesman father Marco Fibbi says "Traditionally, we read the script, but in this case that was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough."

Sony had no comment on the decision. Filming began in Rome two weeks ago across various famous locales such as the Pantheon. Shooting this week moves to the former Royal Palace at Caserta, near Naples, which will double for the Vatican's interiors.