Ben Affleck Replacing Matt Damon in Kidnap Thriller ‘Animals’

Scheduling shifts have pushed Affleck’s friend and occasional collaborator Damon out of the lead, but the cast now includes ‘Sex Education’s Gillian Anderson.

Ben Affleck at Netflix's Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.

Preview:

Ben Affleck is stepping in to star in kidnapping thriller ‘Animals’.
Matt Damon was previously the lead.
Gillian Anderson has joined the cast.

Last year, we brought you the news that longtime friends and collaborators Ben Affleck and Matt Damon –– who have been movie stars together since they co-wrote and starred in the Oscar-winning ‘Good Will Hunting’ way back in 1997 –– were looking to make their latest team-up with a new thriller called ‘Animals.’

It was to have followed 2023’s ‘Air,’ which Affleck directed and had a supporting role in to Damon’s lead. And also the upcoming ‘RIP,’ from director Joe Carnahan (more on that below).

But then, pesky schedule changes got in the way of their fun.

See, while they were aiming to shoot last year, but there was a hold up with the rights and that put the brakes on production. Then, Affleck had to go and reprise his role as Christian Wolff in Gavin O’Connor’s sequel to 2016 hitman thriller ‘The Accountant’ (that one will be out this year).

The Accountant 2

R2 hr 4 minApr 25th, 2025

Christian Wolff is brought out of hiding by Treasury Agent Marybeth Medina after someone close to them is killed by unknown assassins. To solve the murder, Wolff... Read the Plot

Fast-forward to this year and now it’s Damon who has the scheduling clash, as he’s about to start work on Christopher Nolan’s new movie ‘The Odyssey’ along with half of Hollywood. Which means he can no longer star in ‘Animals.’

Affleck has, therefore, had to hunt around for someone to star and who does he think he can get along with just as well as Damon? Turns out it’s a hungry young newcomer named… (checks notes)… Ben Affleck?

Yes, to get the movie made, Affleck is stepping in to star as well as direct. It’s not like he hasn’t done that in the past ––he pulled that particular trick off for movies such as ‘The Town,’ ‘Argo,’ and ‘Live by Night,’ and they all came off well.

In related ‘Animals’ news, Deadline (who broke word of Affleck stepping in to star) reports that Gillian Anderson is joining the cast.

What’s the story of ‘Animals’?

Ben Affleck as Christian Wolff in 'The Accountant.' Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.

So far, the plot details are being kept quiet on this one, though the kidnapping thriller has a script that began life with Connor McIntyre and has since seen revisions from ‘Captain Phillips’ and ‘Richard Jewel’ writer Billy Ray.

And Damon is still aboard to produce the movie –– as he did with ‘Air’ –– through the Artists Equity company he formed with Affleck.

Yet unlike ‘Air’, this movie won’t arrive via Amazon. Instead, Netflix has jumped aboard to finance and distribute the film, though it remains to be seen whether it’ll go the theatrical route or will land in Netflix’s streaming service.

What’s next for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon?

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

(L to R) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, on CBS and streaming on Paramount+. Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS ©2024 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

As for Affleck, that’s easy to answer –– it’s this, if everything comes together. He also has ‘The Accountant 2’ awaiting release and will be seen alongside Damon in the aforementioned ‘RIP.’

The Carnahan thriller is set in Miami, where the murder of a captain has remained unsolved for six weeks, mired in bureaucratic delays, leaving the officers of the city’s Tactical Narcotics Team restless and eager for justice.

Seeking an outlet for their frustration and perhaps a chance to secure something for themselves the team acts on a tip about a potential cartel stash. What they uncover is far more than they anticipated. Inside a derelict stash house, they discover millions in cash, and with it, the fragile bonds of trust within the team begin to unravel.

(L to R) Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Ben Affleck as Det Sergeant JD Byrne in 'RIP'. Cr. Claire Folger/Netflix © 2024.

As news of the massive seizure spreads, outside forces close in, and everything comes into question-loyalties, motives, and even who they can truly trust…

Carnahan wrote and directed this one, but it doesn’t have a locked release date yet.

Beyond that, Damon has ‘The Odyssey’ dominating his schedule for the coming few months as an actor, but there is a hefty batch of projects to which he’s attached as a producer, including sports drama ‘Flash Before the Bang’ and drama ‘Apostle Paul.’

What else is Gillian Anderson working on?

Gillian Anderson as Vivienne in 'White Bird'. Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Anderson might still be best known for starring in cult TV series ‘The X-Files,’ but more recently received acclaimed for her role as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in Netflix series ‘The Crown.’

Also for the company, she appeared in all four seasons of ‘Sex Education’ and last year played journalist Emily Maitlis in ‘Scoop,’ the drama about her memorable interview with Prince Andrew.

Coming up, she worked on Western TV drama ‘The Abandons,’ which will hit Netflix later this year.

And finally, on the movie front, she has a role in ‘Tron: Ares,’ the second sequel to the 1982 sci-fi thriller.

When will ‘Animals’ be in theaters?

‘Animals,’ since it has yet to shoot, doesn’t have a release date. And since it’s backed by Netflix, there’s a chance that it won’t ever see the inside of a cinema, instead debuting on the streaming service’s servers.