Ben Affleck fights for his family in the chilling trailer for his Netflix political thriller

It's been quite the year for Netflix already, and the streaming service isn't slowing down a single bit. This summer, Netflix debuted its biggest new show of the year, Harlan Coben's I Will Find You, which has also steadily become one of the streamer's most popular shows of all time. If you loved the mysterious kidnapping drama, Ben Affleck has another treat headed for your watch list.

The Academy Award winner stars in and directs the new Netflix original crime movie Animals, set for release in select theaters and globally on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 9. From the first look the streaming service dropped this summer, the movie already looked like a solid contender for one of the best thrillers to be released in 2026, and after seeing the full trailer, Affleck's flick has it in the bag.

Netflix drops pulse-pounding Animals trailer

On Sept. 15, less than one month until Animals premieres in theaters and begins streaming worldwide, Netflix released the full official trailer. In the new preview for the movie, we get a much better glimpse at what to expect, and what we can expect is a pulse-pounding thriller that doesn't let its foot off the gas one bit. Take a closer look with the trailer in the video below:

The Animals trailer opens with dialogue from Affleck's character Mark Kimball, a mayoral candidate in Los Angeles. He's hoping to have a successful campaign, but the kidnapping of his son places him right in the center of a crime conspiracy that leaves his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) reeling. They're fighting for their family amid complicated and criminal circumstances. Power dynamics and unexpected twists lead to a blow-up between the couple, but how do they get there?

That's the question that the trailer leaves us with, the driving force behind the desire to watch the movie as soon as it drops on Netflix. You might think you have seen every kind of movie with stories about politics, crime, and kidnapping, but Affleck has clearly weaved an original tale, along with co-writers Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray, that's going to keep viewers guessing.

As an actor, Affleck has already had a rather dominating year on Netflix. The star kicked off the year in the Netflix original action movie The Rip alongside his best friend and frequent collaborator Matt Damon. Affleck's Netflix movie debut paved the way for Animals to deliver his next directorial effort, and just like in The Town and Argo, he's pulling out all the stops to keep us entertained.

Along with Affleck and Washington, Animals also stars Gillian Anderson, Adrian Paz, Ray Fisher, Matt Gerald, Luis Gerardo Méndez, and Steven Yeun. With its October release date and the positive reception building up from its first looks, Animals could very well be a contender this coming award season. But even if it's not, we will be spoiled with another great thriller from Netflix.

Make sure to watch Animals on Netflix and select theaters beginning on Friday, Oct. 9, and check out the official poster for the movie below!

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