Ben Affleck’s ‘Animals’ Moves Forward After Matt Damon's Exit

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been close partners for a long time; they co-wrote the screenplay for ‘Good Will Hunting’ and have appeared in other films together. It was announced last year that Damon would star in Affleck's upcoming kidnapping thriller ‘Animals’, which he will direct for an OTT. However, the OTT platform chose to put the production on hold because of problems with the script. ‘Animals’ has now been brought back to life, according to a recent THR story, with Gillian Anderson costarring alongside Affleck as both director and actress. Although a formal release date has not yet been set, production is anticipated to start in Los Angeles in April.

Affleck's return as Christian Wolff in ‘The Accountant 2’, the follow-up to the well-liked 2016 conspiracy thriller, is only months away from this revelation. Although Anna Kendrick's involvement has not been confirmed, J.K. Simmons is playing Ray King again, and Jon Bernthal is playing Brax again. 

Damon and Affleck are already set to co-star in ‘RIP’, a forthcoming police procedural/martial arts movie that also stars Kyle Chandler, so they probably aren't upset that ‘Animals’ didn't work out for them both. Joe Carnahan, who co-wrote the script with Michael McGrale, will direct ‘RIP’.

Image Courtesy: People

Damon's commitment to ‘The Odyssey’, director Christopher Nolan's upcoming picture, is probably the reason he isn't working on ‘Animals’. Alongside Tom Holland, Charlize Theron, and Lupita Nyong'o, Damon will play the lead role. The production timetable for ‘Animals’, which is scheduled to start in Los Angeles in April, would clash with the filming plan for ‘The Odyssey’, which is scheduled to start later this month and travel the world. After playing a supporting role in Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer’, Damon now plays the lead in ‘The Odyssey’, which could be his opportunity to take on a more prominent role, much like Cillian Murphy did in ‘Oppenheimer’.

‘Animals’ does not yet have an official release date, but development is expected to start soon. 

–Farheen Ali