Affleck is also set to direct the film, which Damon departed due to shooting conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, Richard Jewell) will co-write the screenplay with Connor McIntyre.

Ben Affleck is set to star in the next directorial project from — Ben Affleck. The Argo filmmaker-star will now play the lead role in Animals, the Netflix thriller he was already set to direct, Entertainment Weekly has learned.

Ben Affleck is set to star in his upcoming Netflix thriller "Animals," which he's also directing. His longtime friend Matt Damon was originally slated to lead the film but had to depart due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic "The Odyssey.