BFFs Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting for a new Netflix crime thriller

Matt Damon in The Bourne Ultimatum
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

35 years on from their first time working together, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s fruitful history of Hollywood collaborations is showing no signs of slowing down.

Affleck will direct Matt Damon in new Netflix movie Animals, which the streamer describes as a "kidnapping thriller."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Animals will revolve around "a mayoral candidate and his wife whose son is kidnapped."

The premise continues: "Surrounded by plenty of enemies, political and otherwise, the husband and wife have no choice but to get their hands dirty in order to save their son."

Affleck and Damon first appeared together as uncredited extras in 1989’s Field of Dreams, the baseball drama starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, and Gaby Hoffmann.

After a handful of minor projects together – 1992’s School Ties, anyone? – the pair broke out with their collaboration on Good Will Hunting.

Their screenplay, revolving around the mentorship between a professor and a prodigious mathematical mind, made them the youngest winners of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and marked them out as major players in Hollywood – with the pair going on to appear together in Dogma, and two Jay and Silent Bob movies.

They then co-wrote the screenplay of The Last Duel with Nicole Holofcener before Ben Affleck directed Matt Damon in Air, a movie based on the real-life events which saw Nike launch the Air Jordan line, in which he also starred.

Animals is currently undated, though THR suggests filming could commence as early as March. For more on what’s coming to cinemas this year, check out our movie release dates calendar.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.