Overview
- In mid-September Ben Affleck told Entertainment Weekly that he and Jennifer Garner mutually agreed she should step away because their real-life divorce would create distracting audience 'baggage'.
- The project began with Matt Damon set to star and Garner cast opposite him in January 2024 before production paused over overlap with Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest and Damon later became unavailable.
- When Affleck revived Animals he cast himself in the lead and discussed the casting change with Garner, noting an initial practical benefit was easier co-parenting and schedule coordination with their three children.
- Affleck replaced Garner with Kerry Washington and worked with her to change the script, explicitly building an interracial backstory for the couple to reflect how race shapes viewers' perceptions.
- Animals is scheduled for release on October 9 on Netflix and in select theaters, Affleck says he remains on good terms with Garner and would welcome working with her again in the future.