Nicole Kidman has joined the cast of Lee Daniels' new drama The Paperboy, although two other actors recently dropped out of the project.

Back in May, we reported that Tobey Maguire, Sofía Vergara, Matthew McConaughey, and Zac Efron had joined the cast. Shooting was pushed back after Tobey Maguire stepped away from the project last week. The delay also cut into Sofía Vergara's shooting schedule on the ABC sitcom Modern Family, which caused her to drop the movie as well. Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron are still attached to The Paperboy.

The story centers on a reporter, who, along with his brother, starts investigating a Death Row inmate to try and clear his name. Nicole Kidman will step into Sofía Vergara's former role, a mysterious woman who writes letters to Death Row inmates, and develops a relationship with the reporter.

Lee Daniels will direct The Paperboy from a script by Pedro Almodóvar and author Peter Dexter, which is adapted from Peter Dexter's 1995 novel of the same name.