Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for Ben Affleck’s new thriller, Animals, along with announcing its imminent release date. The upcoming film will be Affleck’s first directorial venture since 2023’s Air. Announced two years ago, Animals will follow Affleck as a Los Angeles mayoral candidate who must figure out a way to pay the ransom for his kidnapped son.
The film’s logline teases that it will focus on Affleck and Kerry Washington, who plays his wife, dealing with the “worst night of their life.” The ransom call seemingly starts to upend their “carefully constructed life.”
Watch the Animals trailer below:
What happens in Animals trailer?
The short trailer starts with Affleck receiving an ominous phone call, which is probably the ransom call from the kidnapper who has kidnapped his young son. Several shots from the film establish that Affleck is playing LA mayoral candidate Mark Kimball, who seems to have a positive relationship with his wife and son.
The footage doesn’t include any real dialogue from the film, instead, it relies on fleeting shots to convey the sense of dread its characters are feeling. The few shots that are shown tease Kimball getting in trouble with law enforcement and taking matters into his own hands.
Affleck directed the film from a script co-written by him, Connor O. McIntyre, and Billy Ray. It is produced by Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Dani Bernfeld. Executive producers include Michael Beugg; Kevin Halloran and Michael Joe for Artists Equity; Graham Taylor, Chris Rice, Christopher Slager, and Dan Guando for Fifth Season.
Besides Affleck, the film stars Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, Christopher Woodley, Matt Gerald, Jacob Estrada, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Steven Yeun.
Animals releases in select theatres and on Netflix on October 9, 2026.
