Oscar-winning actress Melissa Leo has joined the cast of Prisoners from Alcon Entertainment and director Denis Villeneuve (Incendies).

The thriller centers on a small-town carpenter (Hugh Jackman) whose life is upended when his daughter and her friend are kidnapped. Unsatisfied with the police results, he tries to find her himself, but runs into a big shot detective who is assigned to the case. No details were given for Melissa Leo's character. Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Fassbender were previously attached to the lead role, before Hugh Jackman signed on.

Aaron Guzikowski (Contraband) wrote the screenplay, with Alcon's Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson producing alongside Kira Davis and Adam Kolbrenner. The project has been in development since 20009, when Antoine Fuqua was attached to direct.

Production is slated to begin early next year, with distributor Warner Bros. eyeing a fall 2013 release.