Netflix has officially announced that Animals, the upcoming kidnapping thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck, will premiere in select U.S. theaters and begin streaming globally on October 9. The project represents Affleck’s latest venture behind and in front of the camera. It is produced under his and Matt Damon’s artist-led production banner, Artists Equity, which maintains a multi-year deal with the streaming platform.
The story follows Milo Bradford, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is abducted. According to the official logline provided by Netflix, Milo and his wife find themselves pulled into a dangerous web of deception while attempting to secure a ransom payment. The desperate scramble forces the couple to make critical choices and exposes damaging secrets that threaten to tear their lives apart against the backdrop of the Los Angeles underworld.
Production Background and Creative Team
Initially announced in 2024, the film experienced a series of production delays. The schedule was first pushed back due to Affleck’s commitments filming The Accountant 2. Consequently, this delay into 2025 created scheduling conflicts for Matt Damon. Damon was originally attached to star as the lead mayoral candidate, but he had to step away from the role to work on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Rather than casting a replacement for the lead, Affleck stepped up to take on the role of Milo Bradford himself. He thus pulled triple duty as director, co-writer, and lead actor. Affleck co-wrote the original screenplay alongside Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre. The film’s technical crew includes Academy Award-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit, editors William Goldenberg and Christopher Rouse, production designer Theresa Guleserian, and costume designer Trish Summerville.
Star-Studded Ensemble Cast
Alongside Affleck, Animals features a notable ensemble cast playing key roles in the high-stakes political drama:
- Gillian Anderson as a high-powered fixer
- Kerry Washington as the mayoral candidate’s wife
- Steven Yeun as the mayoral campaign manager
- Christopher Woodley as the abducted son
- Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz in supporting roles
- Ray Fisher and Mark Kassen rounding out the cast
Production for the R-rated feature took place in and around Los Angeles, California, running from early March through mid-April 2025. The film has a confirmed runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes and was developed in partnership with Fifth Season, Redbird Capital, and Makeready.
