Kerry Washington and Ben Affleck in Animals. Image: Netflix.
Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington brought Animals to the Westwood Village Theater in Los Angeles for its October 1 world premiere. Matt Damon and Luciana Damon also attended, joining the two leads ahead of the thriller’s October 9 release in select theaters and on Netflix.
Affleck directs, co-writes and stars in Animals; Matt Damon and Luciana Damon are among its producers.
Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate, while Washington plays his wife, Abigail. Christopher Woodley plays their son, Denny. When Denny is kidnapped, the couple must raise a ransom while dealing with secrets they have kept from one another.
The cast rehearsed together before filming
Affleck chose actors he felt could work closely with one another. The ensemble spent several weeks rehearsing before the shoot, including work at the Los Angeles house used as the Kimballs’ home. The production filmed in and around the city where the story takes place.
He has described the film as a story about marriage as well as a kidnapping. He also discussed using the expectations viewers already have of performers such as Washington and Steven Yeun, then changing those expectations as the story unfolds.
Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson join the family crisis
Washington’s recent film work includes The Six Triple Eight, Tyler Perry’s 2024 drama about the only US Women’s Army Corps unit of color stationed overseas during World War II. She leads that cast alongside Ebony Obsidian and Milauna Jackson. Animals gives her a present-day family role opposite Affleck rather than another wartime story.
Washington also appeared in the ensemble of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. That 2025 film follows detective Benoit Blanc and a young priest investigating a death at a small-town church, with Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor and Glenn Close among the cast. In Animals, Washington is one of the two parents at the center of the kidnapping.
Anderson plays Dayle, a fixer who enters the Kimballs’ crisis and presses them to reveal the secrets that could affect their son’s safety. Her earlier series include The X-Files and The Crown.
The Animals ensemble in three production photographs
3 screenshotsSteven Yeun returns to work with Affleck
Yeun recently appeared with Affleck and Damon in The Rip, directed by Joe Carnahan. He played Detective Mike Ro, an officer caught between Damon’s Lieutenant Dane Dumars and Affleck’s Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne. The police thriller follows a Miami team whose trust in one another breaks down after a large cash seizure.
Yeun’s earlier work includes Minari and BEEF. His Minari performance earned an Academy Award nomination, and his work in BEEF won a Primetime Emmy. Animals reunites him with Affleck in front of the camera, with Affleck also directing this time.
Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez also appear in Animals. Paz’s earlier films include Emilia Pérez and Spectre; Méndez’s credits include Club de Cuervos and Murder Mystery. Ray Fisher, known for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Piano Lesson, joins Christopher Woodley, Mark Kassen and Jacob Estrada in the supporting cast.
Woodley’s earlier work includes Our Son and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Kassen’s films include Puncture and PH-1.
The producers have several earlier films together
Affleck and Damon founded Artists Equity in November 2022 with Gerry Cardinale. The studio’s films include Air, starring both actors, The Instigators with Damon and Casey Affleck, and The Accountant 2 with Affleck and Jon Bernthal. Animals is another production from that partnership, with Connor McIntyre, Billy Ray and Affleck credited as its writers.
Affleck’s earlier directing work includes Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Live by Night and Argo. He and Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting; Argo later won Best Picture. Animals combines his work as a filmmaker with a lead acting role.
The full credited producing team includes Affleck, Damon, Dani Bernfeld, Luciana Damon, Brad Weston and Collin Creighton. Michael Joe, Kevin Halloran and Michael Beugg are executive producers.
Animals arrives in select theaters and on Netflix on October 9, 2026.
The official trailer is included with this story. The premiere took place before the film’s public release; Animals is not yet available to stream.
For the earlier casting history, read our coverage of Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s involvement in Animals.
