Netflix has officially released the trailer for Animals, a tense political and crime thriller directed by and starring Academy Award winner Ben Affleck. Scheduled to launch globally on Netflix and in select theaters on October 9, 2026, the film promises a tight, race-against-the-clock narrative centered around power, compromise, and family.
Written by Connor O. McIntyre, Billy Ray, and Affleck himself, Animals tells the story of an ambitious Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose life and political aspirations are upended in an instant.
Watch the trailer below:
A Race Against Time and Truth
The film follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife who are thrust into a nightmare when their young son is abducted. With the kidnappers demanding a steep ransom on a strict deadline, the couple quickly realizes that securing the funds will not be easy—most of their personal fortune has already been funneled into funding the mayoral campaign.
Desperate to save their child, the two are drawn into a web of deception. As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they are forced to take extreme measures and reveal deeply buried secrets, triggering consequences that threaten to tear their family, marriage, and political future apart.
A Star-Studded Cast and Key Creative Team
Affleck leads the ensemble alongside Emmy and SAG Award winner Kerry Washington, who plays his wife. They are joined by an impressive supporting cast that includes Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Ray Fisher, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Christopher Woodley, Matt Gerald, and Jacob Estrada.
Behind the scenes, the project is backed by high-profile producers Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Dani Bernfeld, and Luciana Damon. Executive producers for the film include Michael Beugg, Kevin Halloran and Michael Joe for Artists Equity, and Graham Taylor, Chris Rice, Christopher Slager, and Dan Guando for Fifth Season.
Animals streams exclusively on Netflix on October 9.