Ben Affleck Set to Star in and Direct Crime Thriller 'Animals'

Ben Affleck is really amping things up on his new Netflix thriller Animals. He not only will direct the pic but star as well, sources now say. Insiders add that Gillian Anderson also is aboard. The plan is for the film to shoot in Los Angeles from a script by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray.

Plot details are being kept under wraps other then the film revolving around a kidnapping.

Affleck, Matt Damon and Dani Bernfeld will produce through their Artists Equity banner, the artist-led studio founded by Affleck, Damon and Gerry Cardinale/RedBird Capital Partners.

Brad Weston and Collin Creighton are also producing for Makeready, which developed the project in partnership with Fifth Season. Artists Equity's Michael Joe, Kevin Halloran and Lucy Damon will serve as executive producers alongside Fifth Season.

Last year, Affleck was eyeing this film as his next directing outing, but he was only going to come in to direct; Damon was lined up for the lead role.

A holdup with the rights delayed the start of production, and Affleck ended up having to move on to a sequel of The Accountant with Animals pushing. Still wanting to do Animals, and with an opening created when starring in another Netflix and Artists Equity crime thriller, RIP, alongside Damon later this year for the streamer, he had the perfect opening to make Animals his next movie.

Now that Damon is out filming Christopher Nolan's next film, The Odyssey, Affleck thought that his best alternative for leading was himself, which moved the production to speed, but not so much so that it expects to assemble its cast soon.

And while Anderson comes in with extremely close ties with Netflix, it just wrapped Sex Education, four seasons of acclaimed television on its slate.

Affleck is represented by WME and Ziffren Brittenham, with Anderson represented in U.S. by UTA and in U.K. Independent Talent.