On Wednesday the production company New Regency canceled plans for a thriller set in North Korea, in which Steve Carell was to have starred, according to a person familiar with the matter. Production was to have begun in March. The cancellation was first reported by the Hollywood trade website Deadline.

Also in question is the status of several other scripts floating around Hollywood, including rights to the memoirs of North Korean defectors who spent years in the country’s notorious labor camps.
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The debacle’s roots stretch back at least to June of this year, when Sony executives deliberated over changes to “The Interview” due to its political sensitivities. Sony Corp. executives in Tokyo were concerned about the film due to Japan’s long and tense history with both North Korea and South Korea.