Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington star as parents trying to rescue their kidnapped son in the first trailer for Netflix‘s Animals, which Affleck also directed and co-wrote.
With no dialogue, the emotional teaser has Affleck in the role of L.A. mayoral candidate Mark Kimball, who leads a carefully constructed life with his wife, Abigail, until they decide to get their hands dirty to rescue their son and end every parent’s worst nightmare. And the Kimballs do so while surrounded by plenty of enemies, political and otherwise, they cannot trust.
As the Kimballs attempt to raise a ransom to get back their son, Gillian Anderson enters as a fixer, while Steven Yeun hovers as the political candidate’s campaign manager. Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz also star in the crime thriller.
Animals, which will debut in select theaters and on the Netflix streaming platform on Oct. 9, was written by Connor McIntyre, with revisions by Billy Ray and Affleck. The Argo actor and director is back in front and behind the camera for the first time since his 2023 sports drama Air, where he appeared alongside longtime friend and collaborator Matt Damon.
The two famously won an Oscar for writing the script to Good Will Hunting, which starred Damon and had Affleck in a supporting role and was directed by Gus Van Sant. Argo won best picture in 2013, giving Affleck his second Oscar. Affleck, Matt Damon and Dani Bernfeld produced Animals via their Artists Equity banner. The producer credits are also shared by Brad Weston and Collin Creighton of MakeReady, who developed the project along with Fifth Season.