Why Ben Affleck Nearly Scrapped Netflix’s Animals Two Weeks Before Filming

Imagine being two weeks from the first day of shooting, and someone tells you another film has almost the same story. That’s what happened to Ben Affleck with his Netflix thriller Animals. His reaction was blunt, and it nearly ended the project.

What Happened in Animals?

Affleck, who directs and stars, told EW he was very close to shooting when someone mentioned that Spike Lee and Denzel Washington were making a kidnapping drama. That film was Highest 2 Lowest, Lee’s remake of an Akira Kurosawa classic.

Both films are kidnapping dramas about wealthy fathers who get the worst phone call imaginable. They even share the same twist. Affleck said watching Lee’s film “freaked me out,” and he called off production, telling his Artists Equity partners they wouldn’t proceed. His reasoning was simple: making a good movie is hard enough without extra headwinds.

From Cancellation to Comeback

The break didn’t last. With the project delayed and Matt Damon, who was meant to star, heading off to The Odyssey, Affleck couldn’t stop thinking about the story. He realized he’d lived in Los Angeles longer than in his hometown of Boston, and wanted to give the city its due on screen.

Animals : Overview

The Twist (Mild Spoiler)

The kidnappers grab the wrong child. The couple’s son comes home safe on Halloween night, but the abducted boy belongs to someone close to their household. That turns the story into a moral test for the candidate: will he pay, and how much does he care about the people he wants to serve? It is the same twist used in Kurosawa’s original and Lee’s remake.

How Is It Landing?

According to What’s on Netflix, critics have been mixed to negative. The review argues Affleck’s usual sharp grip on tension, so strong in Gone Baby Gone and The Town, isn’t fully in focus here. Lee’s film, by comparison, was critically acclaimed. Still, the piece notes that general viewers may not mind much, since most will watch both on streaming.

Affleck also joked that he’s been through this before, comparing it to the old Armageddon versus Deep Impact rivalry. Surprisingly, he hasn’t seen Kurosawa’s original film at all.

Should You Watch It?

If you like fast-paced crime dramas with a sleazy-politician twist, it’s an easy weekend stream. Just manage expectations if you were hoping for his Argo or The Town level.

Want more streaming news? Visit our Entertainment section, our Movie coverage, or read about Netflix’s first holiday tearjerker of 2026.

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