20th Century Fox has halted preproduction on its big-budget sci-fi comedy "Used Guys" reports the trades.

The Ben Stiller-Jim Carrey laugher was to have begun shooting June 11th in New Mexico, but the studio now says that "Due to scheduling issues, production is being delayed on 'Used Guys' ... until sometime next year".

The official reasoning? "The Jay Roach-directed film requires a long prep for its futuristic settings, and both actors have films scheduled for later in the year. All the parties remain committed to making the picture when time permits"

Unofficially there had been talk that budgeting was an issue on the $90 million project, this despite Carrey, Stiller and Roach cutting both their pay and back end fees to be involved. With all three kept very busy, it'll be tough for the project to come together again.

The sci-fi comedy about a women-ruled world where men are bought and sold as sex objects was scheduled to be one of Fox's big Summer 2007 tentpoles. The June 15th release slot it was targeted for will now be used for the studio's sequel to last year's "Fantastic Four".