Ben Affleck Races a Ransom Clock in His Netflix Thriller Animals

Ben Affleck is back behind the camera and in front of it. Animals, his new thriller, hits Netflix and select theaters on October 9, with Affleck playing Mark Kimball, a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles whose son is kidnapped mid-campaign.

Kerry Washington co-stars as his wife. Affleck wrote the script with Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray, and Matt Damon produces for Artists Equity, the company the two friends launched together.

The story

The kidnappers want a ransom, and the Kimballs have only hours to come up with it. Their campaign war chest is empty, so they have to get their hands dirty, and doing so means exposing parts of their lives they had worked hard to keep out of public view.

The cast

• Ben Affleck as Mark Kimball;
• Kerry Washington as Abigail Kimball;
• Christopher Woodley as Denny Kimball;
• Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Ray Fisher, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez.

The filmmakers

Animals is Affleck’s sixth feature as a director, following Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo, Live by Night and Air. There Will Be Blood Oscar winner Robert Elswit shot it, William Goldenberg and Christopher Rouse edited, and Harry Gregson-Williams composed the score.

First announced in January 2024, the film went through several delays before cameras rolled in Los Angeles on March 7, 2025. It runs 106 minutes.

Release

Animals streams on Netflix from October 9, with a limited theatrical run alongside. No reviews yet.