Vatican taking guesswork out of church shoots

Setting guidelines for which films will be allowed

By Eric J. Lyman

June 18, 2008, 02:19 PM ET

TAORMINA, Italy -- The Vatican said Wednesday that it is working on a set of guidelines for what it considers "good cinema." The move comes two days after the Vatican told producers of "Angels & Demons" that their film doesn't qualify.

The Vatican on Monday barred Sony Pictures' "Angels & Demons" from shooting inside any of Rome's churches. On Wednesday, the film crew said it will move a bit further south and shoot the church scenes for the film inside the former royal palace in Caserta, outside Naples, a secular building.

Priest Marco Fibbi, a spokesman for the Diocese of Rome, said Wednesday that the church was working on a set of guidelines that will determine whether a film contains the "proper" religious sentiment.

The Church staunchly opposed "The Da Vinci Code," the 2006 adaptation of the Dan Brown best-seller. "Angels & Demons," the follow-up film, also based on one of Brown's novels, is entirely set in Rome.

Vatican taking guesswork out of church shoots

Setting guidelines for which films will be allowed

By Eric J. Lyman

June 18, 2008, 02:19 PM ET