Ben Affleck is set to take over the lead role in the upcoming Netflix thriller Animals, which he will also direct. The film was initially slated to star Matt Damon, but due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Damon had to step down.
Animals is expected to begin production in Los Angeles this April, while The Odyssey is set to start filming in February at various global locations.
The crime thriller, which is being written by Billy Ray, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Captain Phillips and The Hunger Games, follows a mayoral candidate whose child is kidnapped. While Damon will not appear in Animals, he remains attached to the project as a producer, alongside Affleck through their company, Artists Equity. They will be joined by executive producer Dani Bernfeld, along with producers Brad Weston and Collin Creighton of MakeReady.
Gillian Anderson, widely known for her role as Dana Scully in The X-Files, is also joining the cast of Animals. Anderson, who recently worked with Netflix on The Crown as Margaret Thatcher and Sex Education, adds further star power to the film. Additional cast announcements will be made in the coming weeks, though it seems unlikely that The Odyssey co-stars of Damon will be part of Animals.