Ben Affleck’s next directing gig after the critically acclaimed Air is the Netflix political thriller, Animals. It was supposed to star his pal and Artists Equity partner Matt Damon, but due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, the cast is getting a shakeup. Deadline reports Affleck will pull double duty as director and star, stepping in front of the camera to replace Damon.
On top of the casting switch, Gillian Anderson has joined the cast in an unknown role.
Animals is co-written by Billy Ray and Connor McIntyre, and centers on a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. Affleck, Damon, and Dani Bernfeld will produce through their Artists Equity banner.
Also coming up for Affleck is The Accountant 2, which will have its world premiere at SXSW in March. Anderson had a busy 2024 with Scoop, The Salt Path, and White Bird. She’ll be seen next in Disney sequel Tron: Ares.
Animals is planning to shoot in Los Angeles soon.
