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Ben Affleck is set to bring his new self-directed and starring kidnapping thriller, "Animals", to Netflix next month. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly (EW), Affleck shared new details along with several new stills from the film (pictured below).
Some audiences may recall that Affleck was not originally intended to star in "Animals." The initial plan was for his good friend Matt Damon to take the lead role, and he even intended to cast his ex-wife Jennifer Garner to play Damon's on-screen wife. However, production schedule changes made it impossible for Garner and Damon to participate, forcing Affleck to recast the roles.
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In the EW interview, Affleck explained the reason for the scheduling shift. He admitted that the original cast was set and ready to go, but just two weeks before filming was to begin, Affleck received word that Spike Lee was also planning a kidnapping film with a similar plot, "High and Low". Not wanting to compete with another project or have it seem like he was going head-to-head, Affleck made the last-minute decision to halt production. He even poked fun at himself, noting he'd been in this situation before with his film "Armageddon," which was constantly compared to the thematically similar "Deep Impact," released in the same year.
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However, Affleck stressed that "Animals" is an original script, whereas "High and Low" is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic "Tengoku to Jigoku" (High and Low), making their origins completely different. Affleck also clarified that he has still never seen Kurosawa's film.
Even after halting production, Affleck remained attached to "Animals," driven by a desire to use the story to explore the economic divides among different communities in Los Angeles. Eventually, he had a change of heart and decided to resume the project. By the time he was ready to restart, however, Damon had already committed to filming "The Odyssey" and could not return to the cast.
Regarding Damon's exit, Affleck couldn't help but poke fun: "Clearly, Matt was off doing a smaller film, "The Odyssey." He chose to, you know, shore up his career with a less-famous director and a movie that nobody cares about, playing a part that's not that significant. I think he'll have his karma for that. He'll regret that choice. And so, naturally, a better actor stepped in (referring to himself)."
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Once Affleck decided to take over Damon's role, he found himself in another awkward position: playing a married couple with his own ex-wife. Garner later advised Affleck that if they were to appear on screen as a couple, audiences would inevitably view them through a different lens, creating an unnecessary burden. Affleck agreed with her reasoning: "Frankly, I really wanted to work with her. She's brilliant, we're very good friends, and I have enormous gratitude and respect for her. We get along great, and I'd love to work with her in the future, but you don't want to have the audience's preconceived notions be a distraction, you know?"
Affleck also mentioned that he was initially very eager to have Garner in the role, partly because he felt she was perfect for it and that it would allow her to showcase a different side of her talent and range. On a more practical note, it would have also made it easier for them to coordinate their schedules to spend more quality time with their children.
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After Garner also stepped away, Affleck ultimately cast Kerry Washington in the role. As Washington is Black, the couple's relationship was transformed into an interracial marriage, adding another layer to the film's exploration of Los Angeles's diverse social structure—a theme Affleck was already keen to explore. He subsequently adjusted the script's backstory to reflect this change.
Affleck now feels that, based on the information he has, there are enough clear distinctions between "High and Low," "Tengoku to Jigoku," and his "Animals." He believes the themes he is focusing on are different from those in the other two films and is confident that "Animals" will prove its own uniqueness to the audience.
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The rest of the film's cast includes Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, and Ray Fisher, who previously starred with Affleck as Cyborg and Batman, respectively, in "Justice League." The film is scheduled for a global launch on Netflix on October 9, with a limited theatrical run in North America on the same day.
"Animals" is produced by Artists Equity, the company co-founded by Affleck and Matt Damon, alongside Fifth Season and MakeReady, meaning both Damon and Affleck also serve as producers. The script was originally written by Connor McIntyre and later rewritten by Billy Ray, the screenwriter of "Captain Phillips." The film follows a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped; facing enemies from the political sphere and beyond, he and his wife have no choice but to take any means necessary to save their child.
via： Entertainment Weekly