Officials at the Vatican are said to be planning to authorize a boycott of the upcoming film, "Angels & Demons", the prequel to 2006's smash-hit "The Da Vinci Code." The film, which stars Tom Hanks, is based off the bestselling novel by Dan Brown, and is due for a summer 2009 release.

The church called for a boycott of the first film, and it now looks like this film will also be stirring up some controversy with its religious overtones. On Friday, the Vatican's official newspaper, Avvenire, ran a story stating that the Catholic Church "cannot approve" of the movie. Another Italian publication, La Stampa, has warned that officials will call for a boycott ahead of the film's May release.

While the story is set in Rome, filming was delayed after Vatican officials refused to grant the crew permission to shoot in the religious site and at other important sites in the city.

Angels & Demons opens worldwide on May 15.