Bruce Willis is in talks to star in the action-thriller Captive, replacing The Expendables and The Expendables 2 co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was attached to the project back in 2011.

The story follows an American real estate mogul living in Brazil, who is abducted and held for ransom in a Sao Paolo landfill, while a detective specializing in these cases tries to locate him.

Simon Brand is directing from a screenplay by Benjamin A. van der Veen and Kario Salem. Michael London, who helped develop the story, is producing with Alexandra Milchan, Scott Lambert, Randall Emmett, George Furla, Marina Bespalov. Production is scheduled to begin in March.

Bruce Willis most recently starred in Red 2, and he will next be seen in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and The Expendables 3 with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Simon Brand is best known for directing the 2006 thriller Unknown, which also centered on an abduction, starring James Caviezel and Greg Kinnear. Arnold Schwarzenegger will next be seen in Sabotage and Maggie.