Steve Carell and Gore Verbinski have fallen victim to the controversy surrounding comedy The Interview as their upcoming North Korea-set film has been shut down.

Foxcatcher actor Steve was due to star in an untitled thriller directed by Verbinski that would see the action take place in North Korea.

But, according to Deadline, New Regency has thought better of it since Sony had to postpone the James Franco and Seth Rogen comedy The Interview, which had been due to be released on Christmas Day in the US.

Gore Verbinski
(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The Interview’s plot saw James and Seth as TV journalists who had landed an interview with leader Kim Jong Un only to be tasked by the CIA with assassinating him, and caused such offence that cinemas planning on showing the film received threats, while Sony’s computer systems were hacked by a group under the name Guardians Of Peace.

New Regency decided not to relocate the Verbinski film to a different country, but they will still work with the director on his other upcoming projects which include A Cure For Wellness and Passengers.