Netflix has dropped the first official teaser for Animals, the upcoming political thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck. The minute-long trailer shows how a single phone call can destroy a carefully built life. Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose world falls apart when his son is kidnapped. Kerry Washington stars as his wife Abigail, and together they must race against time to save their family.
The trailer arrived on August 12, 2026. It runs without any dialogue, letting the tension build through music and the constant buzz of a ringing phone. The footage shifts from peaceful family moments to panic, handcuffs, and a figure wearing a creepy rabbit mask.
The Phone Call That Destroys Everything
The teaser opens with Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck), his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington), and his campaign manager (played by Steven Yeun) looking tense. Mark answers a phone call from an unknown person. The caller’s face is never shown. That one call triggers a nightmare that tears apart the life Mark and Abigail have built together.
The trailer then shows Mark running for mayor of Los Angeles. He greets voters, appears on stage, and shares happy moments with Abigail and their young son Denny (played by Christopher Woodley). But the calm does not last. Another phone call changes everything. The footage moves to distressing images. Abigail and another woman cry frantically. A sleeping bag sits next to a pair of handcuffs. Gillian Anderson appears as a fixer who arrives at the Kimball home as the crisis grows.
The trailer also shows a figure wearing a fluffy rabbit mask holding a gun near a bridge marked with a skull. Another shot places Mark in the crosshairs of a rifle. The final image shows Mark under a spotlight at a campaign event.
A Race to Save Their Son
The movie’s official logline sets up the high-stakes drama: “When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife find themselves drawn into a web of deception. As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they’re forced to make choices that could tear their world apart”.
Mark and Abigail must raise the ransom money while surrounded by enemies they cannot trust. The kidnapping happens just as Mark’s campaign appears to be gaining momentum. The couple must decide how far they will go to protect their family. Netflix’s synopsis asks two central questions: “How far would you go to protect your family? And who can you trust?”
Star-Studded Cast and Characters
Ben Affleck leads the cast as Mark Kimball, the mayoral candidate. Kerry Washington plays his wife Abigail. The supporting cast includes several well-known names:
- Steven Yeun (Beef) plays Mark’s campaign manager
- Gillian Anderson (The Crown) plays a fixer caught up in the situation
- Adriana Paz (Emilia Perez) appears as a friend to Abigail
- Ray Fisher (Justice League) also stars
- Luis Gerardo Méndez, Matt Gerald, Jacob Estrada, and Mark Kassen round out the cast
Christopher Woodley plays the Kimballs’ son, Denny.
Behind the Camera: Affleck Returns to Directing
Animals marks Ben Affleck’s first feature directing project since 2023’s Air. His previous directing credits include Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Live by Night, and Argo, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013.
Affleck also co-wrote the screenplay with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray. McIntyre’s script originally appeared on the Black List, a yearly survey of Hollywood’s most liked unproduced screenplays. Affleck and Ray later contributed to the writing.
Matt Damon was originally set to play the mayoral candidate while Affleck directed. But Damon had to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Affleck stepped into the starring role himself. Damon still serves as a producer through Artists Equity.
Artists Equity and Netflix Partnership
Animals comes from Artists Equity, the studio founded by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale. The company has a multi-year production and distribution deal with Netflix. This follows the success of 2026’s crime thriller The Rip, which also starred Affleck and Yeun.
The producers for Animals include Affleck, Damon, Dani Bernfeld, Brad Weston, and Collin Creighton. The project was developed by Makeready in partnership with Fifth Season. Filming took place in and around Los Angeles.
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Release Date and Where to Watch
Animals arrives on Netflix and in select U.S. theaters on October 9, 2026. The movie will be available for streaming globally on that date. The limited theatrical release will give audiences a chance to see the film on the big screen before it becomes widely available on the streaming platform.
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