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Two weeks before cameras were set to roll, Ben Affleck shut down his own movie. His leads were locked in: best friend Matt Damon and ex-wife Jennifer Garner, playing a married couple. The film, Animals, now arrives on Netflix October 9 with a different cast. Affleck has explained what triggered the shutdown, and why his ex-wife never appeared as his on-screen wife.
“Animals” Follows an L.A. Mayoral Candidate Whose Son Is Kidnapped
Animals is a crime thriller Affleck directed and co-wrote. He stars as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. Mark and his wife, Abigail, have only hours to raise the ransom, and most of their money is tied up in his campaign. To save the boy, the couple must reveal secrets they never meant to share. Kerry Washington plays Abigail. Another actor held the part first.
Matt Damon and Jennifer Garner Were the First Leads Attached in 2024
When the project was announced in early 2024, Damon was set to play Mark and Garner was reported to be in talks for Abigail. Damon and Affleck are partners at Artists Equity, the studio backing the film. Affleck and Garner married in 2005, separated in 2015, and finalized their divorce in 2018. They share three children. Affleck says the reason for wanting Garner in the role was practical.
Affleck Saw Garner’s Casting as a Win for Their Co-Parenting Schedule
Affleck told Entertainment Weekly that Garner seemed perfect for Abigail. The shoot would also ease their co-parenting: the two trade off weeks with their kids, so a shared film meant one schedule to coordinate and more time with the children for both. He also believed she could show range she had never gotten to display in a single movie. Garner and Damon were cast, and the start date sat two weeks away.
A Spike Lee and Denzel Washington Kidnapping Film Rattled Affleck
Someone told Affleck about another kidnapping story in the works: Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s Highest 2 Lowest. The film reached theaters in August 2025, with Washington as a music mogul caught in a ransom plot. Lee reimagined Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 thriller High and Low, which Affleck admits he has never seen. The news freaked him out, he said, and his answer came fast.
Affleck Shelved “Animals,” Then Realized He Had Lived in L.A. Longer Than in Boston
Affleck called off the shoot. Good films are hard enough to make, he said, without avoidable headwinds. Months later, the story would not leave him alone. After making several movies set in his hometown of Boston, he realized he had now lived in Los Angeles longer than he ever lived there. A film about L.A. suddenly felt personal, so he decided to revive Animals. His leading man was no longer available.
Matt Damon Exited for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” Leaving Affleck the Lead
Damon had committed to Nolan’s The Odyssey, which left him unable to meet Affleck’s schedule. He stayed on Animals as a producer, and Affleck took over as Mark. Affleck joked that Damon picked a smaller film and will regret it. Nolan’s epic opened to $124.5 million in the United States in July, according to Variety. With Affleck now in the lead, Garner remained attached to play his wife.
Garner Told Affleck “You Just Get Baggage” About Playing His Wife
The script gives Mark and Abigail a troubled marriage, and Affleck now had to picture himself and his ex-wife playing it. He talked to Garner, who told him, “You just get baggage,” according to TheWrap’s report of the Entertainment Weekly interview. Affleck agreed. Audiences would watch two real-life exes instead of a fictional couple, and their history would work against the film. Someone else had to play Abigail.
Kerry Washington Stepped In as Abigail Alongside Steven Yeun and Gillian Anderson
Washington joined the cast in early 2025, alongside Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson and Luis Gerardo Méndez. According to Netflix, the ensemble rehearsed for several weeks before shooting, working on location at the Kimballs’ Los Angeles home. Affleck looked for actors who were good collaborators. The trailer shows Mark and Abigail racing to raise the ransom. Garner is absent from the film, but Affleck says one door with her remains open.
Affleck Calls Garner “Fabulous” and Wants a Future Project Together
Affleck describes Garner as fabulous and a good friend, and says he is profoundly grateful to her. He would still like to work with her someday. The recast came down to one principle: real-life history follows actors into the theater, and the story pays for it. Animals opens October 9 with Washington as Abigail, a choice Affleck and Garner reached together to protect the film.