Picture Credit: Dsanchez/CPR / BACKGRID
Following on from the enormous success of action-thriller The Rip, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s latest Artists Equity production Animals lands on Netflix later this year. What is the plot of Animals? Who has been cast? And how long is the movie? Here’s our comprehensive preview.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s artist-led production company Artists Equity has a multi-year deal with Netflix, producing original films at the streamer. Already in 2026, we’re seeing major releases — look no further than The Rip, which is the second most-watched movie in the first half of the year, behind only War Machine. Next up under Affleck and Damon’s banner is political crime-thriller Animals, directed by Affleck himself and written by him, Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips). The movie marks Affleck’s fourth major Netflix Original project.
An original idea, Animals was first announced back in 2024. The project was initially put on hold in June 2024 due to scheduling conflicts with Affleck filming The Accountant 2. Because of the delay into 2025, Matt Damon, who was originally attached to tackle the lead role of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Milo Bradford, had to drop out of the project due to his own scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Affleck subsequently tackled the main role, making him a writer, the director, and the movie’s lead star simultaneously. Of course, Affleck has established himself as one of the most versatile talents in Hollywood; his directing credits include the award-winning movies Air and Argo.
The film is a massive joint venture between Netflix, Artists Equity, Redbird Entertainment, Makeready, and FIFTH SEASON. As well as being produced by Affleck, Damon, and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital, the extensive producing team includes Brad Weston and Collin Creighton of Makeready, Dani Bernfeld, Vindhya Sagar, and Luciana Damon. Executive producers include Michael Beugg, Dan Guando, Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe, Chris Rice, and Christopher Slager.
In this article, we’ve compiled everything we know so far about Animals.
What is Animals about?
Co-written by Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre, and Billy Ray (The Hunger Games, Captain Phillips), Animals is an original idea not based on any source material.
The official logline for the film is as follows:
“When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife find themselves drawn into a web of deception. As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they’re forced to make choices that could tear their world apart.”
Taking place in Los Angeles, Milo Bradford (Affleck) and his wife (played by Gillian Anderson) must find a hefty ransom payment to get their son back, but doing so is not easy. With the help of their mayoral campaign manager (played by Kerry Washington), they’ve poured all of their capital into a big campaign. In inexplicably being drawn into the grisly underworld, they end up exposing dark secrets and sides of their lives they never thought would see the light of day.
Who has been cast in Animals?
Animals boasts a star-studded cast, with a couple of cast members from The Rip also taking part. The full, confirmed cast list includes:
- Ben Affleck as Milo Bradford
- Gillian Anderson (The Crown, The Abandons) as Milo’s wife
- Christopher Woodley (Our Son) as Milo’s son
- Kerry Washington (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery) as the campaign manager
- Steven Yeun (The Rip, Beef)
- Luis Gerardo Méndez (A Time for Bravery)
- Adriana Paz (The Empty Hours)
- Mark Kassen (Growing Up Brady)
- Ray Fisher (Zack Snyder’s Justice League)
- Matt Gerald (Solace)
- Chris Gann (The Pitt) as Rand
- Taylor Cooper (The Morning Show) as Hannah
- Aleksandar Popovic (Power) as Jiri
- Jacob Estrada as Hector
- Rodrigo Rocha as Borne
- Don O. Knowlton as L.A. Times Reporter
- Xochitl Romero as Latin Interviewer
- Ivan Bernal as Mexican Day Laborer
- Andray Johnson as Colleague
- Lacey Katena and Anthea Phitides as Sorority Girls
- Marita Hakala as Friend of Mark
- Kristel Elling, David King, Aisha Graham Perez, and Brooke Griego as Reporters
- George Todd McLachlan and Ethan Nelson in unnamed roles
- Robert Gatewood as Pedestrian
Before the final cast was locked down, there were a couple of close calls with different cast members. Aside from Damon dropping out of the lead role, Affleck’s ex-wife and longtime collaborator Jennifer Garner was in early negotiations in February 2024 to star as Milo’s wife, but never officially signed on. The role subsequently went to Gillian Anderson.
Who is behind the scenes of Animals?
To bring this gritty political thriller to life, Affleck has assembled a top-tier crew of industry veterans:
- Cinematographer: Academy Award winner Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood, Nightcrawler)
- Editors: Academy Award winner William Goldenberg (Argo, Zero Dark Thirty) and Christopher Rouse (The Bourne Ultimatum)
- Production Designer: Theresa Guleserian
- Costume Designer: Trish Summerville (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Gone Girl)
- Casting Director: Tamara-Lee Notcutt
What is the duration of Animals?
Animals has a confirmed, R-rated run time of 1 hour, 46 minutes. This places it just six minutes shorter than The Rip.
Set photos give us our first look at Animals
Filming for Animals took place in Los Angeles, California—including the Los Angeles Thirty Mile Zone (TMZ)—kicking off in early March 2025 and officially wrapping in mid-April 2025.
While Netflix has not released any official stills, we have previously shared some photos from the production filming in the iconic LA River.
Warning: The following section contains spoilers. Proceed with caution!
Picture: Backgrid
Picture: Backgrid
Picture: Backgrid
Picture: Backgrid
When does Animals release on Netflix?
Animals is confirmed for a 2026 release, though Netflix has not yet revealed an exact date.
Are you excited for Animals on Netflix? Tell us in the comments down below!