The Big Picture

Jennifer Garner is in talks to join the cast of Netflix’s crime thriller
Animals
, directed by Ben Affleck.
The film revolves around a mayoral candidate and his wife who must save their kidnapped son.
Garner and Affleck previously starred together in films such as
Daredevil
and
Elektra
, and Garner will reprise her role as Elektra in an upcoming Disney film.

A one-time Hollywood power couple appears to be reuniting — at least on-screen. Jennifer Garner is in talks to join the cast of Netflix’s Animals, an upcoming crime thriller directed by Ben Affleck, according to The Hollywood Reporter. While Affleck will remain behind the camera, the film will mark the first collaboration for the previously married duo since 20th Century Fox’s superhero film Elektra in 2005.

Garner will star in the film alongside Affleck’s longtime creative partner, Matt Damon. While plot details on the film remain slim, a logline from Netflix states that Animals “concerns a mayoral candidate and his wife whose son is kidnapped. 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.” If the deal comes together, Garner would portray the candidate’s wife. Damon is starring as the candidate himself.

Affleck is directing the film from a script by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray. He is also set to produce the film with Damon through their Artists Equity banner alongside Dani Bernfeld. Brad Weston and Collin Creighton are also producing through their MakeReady banner. It appears that casting on the film has been heating up recently, as Garner’s addition comes less than a month after Damon was tapped to star in Animals following its acquisition by Netflix.

Garner and Affleck Have a Long History

Garner and Affleck have a well-documented relationship. The couple was married from 2005 to 2018 and, prior to their marriage, starred in three films together. The first was the 2001 war drama Pearl Harbor. The pair would then team up for the 2003 superhero film Daredevil, in which Affleck portrayed the titular blind vigilante and Garner took on the role of his eventual love interest, Elektra Natchios. Garner would reprise the role in the aforementioned standalone Elektra two years later, along with Affleck reprising his role as Daredevil in a cameo.

Though Garner has mostly strayed away from action films since then, this won’t be the case for long; she will take up her sai again, as she is set to return to the role of Elektra for the first time in 20 years for Disney’s upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine. While details remain under wraps, it has been reported that Garner’s role alongside Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with a Mouth will be a major one. Garner most recently starred in and executive produced the Apple TV+ miniseries The Last Thing He Told Me and also starred in the comedy film Family Switch alongside Ed Helms.

No release window for Animals has been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for more information. You can watch our recent interview with Garner below.