The Church of England has denied permission for director Danny Boyle to film his upcoming zombie apocalypse movie at a 14th-century Gothic church in Northumberland.

Boyle had hoped to shoot key scenes of his film 28 Years Later at St Mary the Virgin church in Morpeth, believing the historic location would perfectly capture the dystopian future he envision, according to The Telegraph

Despite support for the project from both the vicar of St Mary’s and its churchwarden, the ecclesiastical court turned down the application.

A church court rejected Boyle's request, ruling that using St Mary’s as a backdrop for the sequel would be “offensive” to church doctrines and would "profane" the sacred space.

The decision, which has divided the local parish, came from the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Newcastle, effectively barring the use of St Mary’s in the film.

The movie, set in a post-apocalyptic Britain overrun by zombies, stars Jodie Comer and Cillian Murphy.

The filmmakers described the movie as set in a “post-apocalyptic world where people are largely infected by a ‘rage’ virus that drives them to violence".

Rev Simon White, rector of Morpeth, argued that the film would allow audiences “to engage with a popular apocalyptic genre, whether one likes it or not, the content of which ‘could in part be described by the Book of Revelation’” and that the church was “appropriately portrayed as a place of sanctity with a storyline that is more biblical than profane”.

However, In his ruling, Judge Simon Wood, Chancellor of the Consistory Court, concluded that using St Mary’s for filming 28 Years Later would be “intrinsically objectionable", containing elements that “offend against the canons of the Church of England". 

He added that allowing the church to be used in such a manner would be inconsistent with sound doctrine and not befitting a house of God.