Ben Affleck’s ‘Animals’ Arrives on Netflix as an Original Story, Not an Adaptation

Netflix is days away from releasing ‘Animals’, and viewers wondering what the film is based on will find a simple answer. The thriller was co-written by Ben Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray, and it is an original idea that is not based on any source material. There is no novel, true case or earlier film behind it.

That makes ‘Animals’ a notable release for the streamer, since the story was built from scratch around a kidnapping and a political campaign. Here is what the sources reveal about where the project came from, who is in it, and why Affleck says it is ultimately about something other than the crime itself.

What Netflix’s ‘Animals’ Is Based On

Because the film is an original screenplay, its premise comes entirely from the writers. The story follows Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate played by Affleck, whose son is kidnapped and who must find ransom money within hours. Much of the family’s money has already been spent on his campaign.

The latest trailer shows the kidnapping happening in the middle of the campaign, with the Kimballs’ secrets coming loose as the crisis deepens and threatening both their marriage and Mark’s political future. The pressure on the family comes from within as much as from the people who took their child.

The project has also gone by other names along the way. It was previously known as ‘The Animals of Los Angeles’ and ‘Be Gentlemen’. It was first announced in 2024.

The Original Script and How It Changed

The script has a layered writing history. It was originally written by Connor McIntyre and later rewritten by Billy Ray, the screenwriter of ‘Captain Phillips’. Affleck then came aboard as a credited writer alongside them.

The film nearly did not happen on its first schedule. Affleck told Entertainment Weekly that just two weeks before filming was set to begin, he learned that Spike Lee was planning a kidnapping film called ‘High and Low’. He stressed that ‘Animals’ is an original script while Lee’s project is a remake of a Kurosawa classic, so their origins are different.

Affleck stayed attached anyway. He wanted to use the story to explore economic divides among communities in Los Angeles, and he adjusted the backstory to reflect that. Damon was originally set to star, but by the time the film moved forward again he was committed to Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’, so Affleck took the lead himself.

Ben Affleck Thriller Cast and Creative Team

The ensemble is led by Affleck and Kerry Washington, who plays his wife Abigail. Gillian Anderson plays Dayle, a mysterious fixer drawn into the situation, and the cast also includes Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher and Luis Gerardo Méndez.

Fisher’s casting carries some franchise history. He previously appeared alongside Affleck in ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’, where Fisher played Cyborg and Affleck played Batman. The film is produced by Artists Equity, the company Affleck and Matt Damon co-founded, together with Fifth Season and MakeReady.

The film also fits a pattern in Affleck’s career as a director. It follows ‘Air’ and returns him to the crime thriller territory of ‘Gone Baby Gone’ and ‘The Town’. Artists Equity has a multi year deal with Netflix, and ‘Animals’ is described as Affleck’s fourth major Netflix original project.

‘Animals’ Release on Netflix and Early Buzz

Audiences will not have long to wait. The film arrives globally on Netflix on October 9, with a limited theatrical run in North America on the same day. A second trailer has now been released.

The run up has not been without debate. The film was at the center of controversy after Affleck revealed that generative AI would be used in its production, a subject that remains contentious in Hollywood. The sources reviewed do not detail how the technology was used on screen.

Affleck has been clear about what he sees at the core of the story. He told Bloomberg it is a morality tale that is really about marriage, and he described a tension between “the advertised self versus the real self.” He also said the couple cannot be fully honest with each other until they have nothing left to lose. Does a political marriage tested by a kidnapping give ‘Animals’ enough of its own identity to win you over the night it reaches Netflix?