EXCLUSIVE: Ben Affleck is ramping things up on his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals as he is not only on board to direct but sources now say he will star too. Insiders add Gillian Anderson is also on board from a script by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray.

The project has been revived with Affleck still in the director’s chair. But he will now star in it as well. Gillian Anderson, the X-Files star who in recent years appeared as Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown, is also joining the production. As before, the project aims to shoot in Los Angeles and is looking at an April start.

Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon reunite for "RIP," a new crime thriller directed by Joe Carnahan, which will be released on Netflix in fall 2025.

The boys are back together again! Longtime friends and professional partners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have teamed up to work on a new Netflix film called RIP.

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.