Animals: Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington Face a Family Nightmare in Netflix’s New Thriller
A kidnapped child, a desperate race to raise a ransom and a marriage pushed to the brink — Animals puts Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington at the centre of a tense Netflix thriller where a family’s worst nightmare threatens to expose the secrets behind their carefully maintained lives.
Released on Netflix on October 9, 2026, the film follows Mark Kimball (Affleck), a candidate for mayor of Los Angeles, and his wife, Abigail (Washington), after their son is kidnapped. As they scramble to secure the money needed to bring him home, they face a series of decisions that could change their family forever.
Directed and co-written by Affleck, the film combines a high-stakes kidnapping story with questions about trust, morality and what people are willing to do when everything they care about is at risk.
What Is Animals About?
Mark Kimball appears to have built a successful life as a politician, husband and father. But that carefully constructed image begins to unravel when an ominous phone call brings news of a threat against his family.
When Mark and Abigail learn that their son has been kidnapped, their immediate priority is getting him back safely. Yet raising the ransom is only part of the challenge. As the crisis unfolds, the couple must confront secrets and make difficult choices that threaten to fracture their relationship.
The story also draws Mark’s political ambitions into the crisis, forcing him to navigate a situation in which private desperation and public expectations collide.
Rather than focusing solely on the mechanics of a kidnapping, Animals explores how extreme pressure reveals the people behind the public image — and whether their actions are guided by genuine principles or self-interest.
Ben Affleck Takes on Triple Duty as Star, Director and Co-Writer
Affleck not only plays Mark Kimball but also directs and co-writes the film. The project brings together several strands of his career, from acting in acclaimed films such as Gone Girl and Shakespeare in Love to writing Good Will Hunting, for which he won an Academy Award, and directing the Best Picture-winning historical thriller Argo.
The screenplay was co-written by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray, alongside Affleck. The film’s central question is what happens when people’s carefully maintained public identities fall apart under extreme pressure.
Who Stars in Animals?
The film features a strong ensemble cast, with each character drawn into the escalating crisis surrounding the Kimball family.
- Ben Affleck as Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate.
- Kerry Washington as Abigail Kimball, Mark’s wife and the mother of their kidnapped son.
- Gillian Anderson as Dayle, a mysterious fixer who becomes involved in the crisis.
- Steven Yeun as a member of Mark’s campaign team.
- Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz in supporting roles connected to the unfolding events.
- Ray Fisher, Mark Kassen and Christopher Woodley also appear in the film.
The cast brings together performers known for work across film and television, helping build a story in which loyalties and motivations become increasingly difficult to read.
Filming in Los Angeles
Animals was filmed in and around Los Angeles, using the city as an integral part of the story. The production also emphasised supporting the local film industry, maintaining jobs in the community and reinforcing Los Angeles’s position as a filmmaking hub.
The film was produced in partnership with Artists Equity, the artist-led studio founded by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital. Producers include Affleck, Damon and Dani Bernfeld, alongside Brad Weston and Collin Creighton of Makeready, which developed the project in partnership with Fifth Season.
How to Watch Animals
Animals is now streaming on Netflix, following its release on October 9, 2026. With Affleck leading the cast and directing a story built around a kidnapping, political ambition and a family pushed to its limits, the film offers a tense thriller for viewers drawn to morally complicated characters and high-stakes drama.
