Animals, the kidnapping thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, premiered on Netflix and in select theaters on Friday, October 9. It is the first film Affleck has directed since Air in 2023, and Collider notes it is his most action-oriented directing effort since Live By Night in 2016.
Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a candidate running for mayor of Los Angeles, according to The Boston Globe. The campaign adds to the strain on his marriage to Abigail, played by Kerry Washington. Netflix's logline says the couple's son is kidnapped, forcing them into impossible choices.
The cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Ray Fisher, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez and Christopher Woodley. Affleck wrote the script with Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre.
Animals was produced with Artists Equity, the company Affleck founded with Matt Damon, and both men are producers. The film was first set up with Damon in the lead role and Affleck's ex-wife Jennifer Garner as his wife. Affleck later told Variety that he and Garner decided against working together on it because of the baggage it would bring.
Affleck has also been in the news this week for his comments on artificial intelligence, including that he used it on this film. You can read about that in our report on his remarks.
Animals is available to stream on Netflix now.