James Oconner 
Anil Krishna 
Jonathan Millar 
Ben Affleck directs and stars in a gripping new Netflix thriller: the official trailer for ‘Animals’
© Netflix
Throughout his directing career, Ben Affleck has frequently explored male figures whose carefully constructed lives begin to unravel under pressure—from The Town and Argo to Live by Night. Now, his latest project, Animals, brings that tension into the political arena.
The final trailer for Animals
Affleck directs, co-writes, and stars in the new kidnapping thriller Animals, appearing alongside Kerry Washington.
Netflix has just released the official trailer for Animals: Ben Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. With much of the family fortune tied up in the election campaign, Mark and his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) must frantically scrape together the ransom money while navigating an increasingly complex web of deceit.
The crisis soon threatens not only their son’s life but also the secrets holding their marriage—and their public image—together.
What is Animals about?
Animals is a film Ben Affleck nearly made years ago before abandoning the project at the last minute. He told Entertainment Weekly that production on an earlier version—starring Matt Damon and Jennifer Garner—was just two weeks away from starting when he discovered that Spike Lee and Denzel Washington were making Highest 2 Lowest. That film was another kidnapping thriller with enough similarities to make him decide to scrap—or at least postpone—his own project.
Eventually, he revisited Animals, taking on the role originally intended for his friend Matt Damon and bringing Kerry Washington on board. The film still sees Affleck and Damon collaborating behind the scenes through their production company, Artists Equity; the Oppenheimer star serves as a producer alongside Affleck, Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Dani Bernfeld, and Luciana Damon. “Animals” arrives on Netflix on October 9, exclusively for subscribers.
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