Ben Affleck has taken over the lead role in the upcoming Netflix film Animals after his longtime pal Matt Damon stepped down.
The major casting switch-up was first reported by Deadline on Wednesday, confirming that Affleck — who was already on-board to direct — would be taking on another major part in the film.
However, insiders confirmed Damon will remain involved behind-the-scenes.
Both he and Affleck, 52, are producing the project under their Artists Equity banner, alongside Dani Bernfeld. Meanwhile, the script was penned by Connor McIntyre and Captain Phillips screenwriter Billy Ray.
As to why Damon stepped back from the role — scheduling conflicts seemed to be the culprit. The outlet suggested that his responsibilities in Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey took priority.
Production is set to kick off this April in Los Angeles, setting the stage for what could be another powerhouse film from the duo behind Good Will Hunting and Air.
While details surrounding Animals’ plot have been largely kept under wraps, the thriller is set to revolving around a kidnapping.
Adding star power to the highly anticipated film, it was announced that X-Files legend Gillian Anderson has joined the cast.
Despite Damon’s departure, fans of the dynamic duo won’t have to wait much longer to see them together again.
The pals are slated to act alongside each other in the forthcoming crime thriller RIP, set to debut on Netflix this summer.
However, the casting change in Animals does not come as a shocking surprise as production had been majorly delayed in September 2024 — when filming was supposed to being.
At the time, Affleck’s commitments with his film The Accountant 2 had prevented him from effectively rolling out his production duties.
Per Netflix, the initial logline read: ‘When the son of L.A. Mayoral Candidate Milo Bradford (Damon) is kidnapped, he and his wife have a few hours to come up with the ransom payment.
‘With most of their money spent on his political campaign, they have to get their hands dirty and exposing a side of their lives they never intended to see the light of day.’
Now, fans can expect to see the film sometime in 2026 is production moves forward as planned in 2025.
This comes after the actor revealed the ‘key to directing’ and establishing trust on set in a panel interview with Variety.
He told the outlet: ‘Actors have to understand that you respect them and that you know what’s good and you’re gonna use.
‘I just wanted everyone to feel comfortable … the key to directing is take advantage of the people who are better and smarter and can do the job better than you and let them do it.’
Just days ago, Affleck was spotted spending quality time with his son Samuel and new security dog in his upscale Brentwood neighborhood.
