Steve Carell movie set in North Korea is nixed

In the wake of Sony pulling The Interview, New Regency is nixing a movie revolving around North Korea.

Steve Carell confirmed to USA TODAY's Andrea Mandell on Thursday that his new movie, Pyongyang, is being scrapped.

Based on a graphic novel by Guy Delisle about an American working in North Korea, the film was supposed to start shooting in Serbia in March.

Carell declined to comment specifically on the film or the ongoing Sony hacking case beyond saying the film wasn't happening.

Carell is in the difficult position of promoting his widely praised Foxcatcher, which comes under the Sony umbrella as a Sony Pictures Classics film (a different arm of the company.)

The new Carell movie, which was set up in October, was being developed by director Gore Verbinski.

Verbinski told Deadline that he was "told in no uncertain words that based on the situation at Sony, Fox has now decided to not distribute the film. Without a distributor, New Regency was forced to shut the film down."