Ben Affleck replaces Matt Damon in Animals as Gillian Anderson joins cast

Ben Affleck has replaced his friend Matt Damon in 'Animals'.

Damon, 54, was due to appear in the Netflix thriller, but he has departed the forthcoming film due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey'.

But sources have told Deadline that Affleck will now star in the movie as well as direct, and Gillian Anderson has also joined the cast.

Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray have penned the script for the film, which is about a kidnapping, but precise plot details are yet to be revealed.

'Animals' is due to shoot in Los Angeles, with Affleck, Damon and Dani Bernfeld producing through their Artists Equity banner.

It was initially thought Affleck was only planning to direct the movie, but Damon now has commitments via Nolan's 'The Odyssey', so Affleck has decided to star in the film himself.

In August, it was revealed Affleck and Damon were reuniting with their 'Good Will Hunting' director Gus Van Sant about for a movie about controversial WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Hulk Hogan.

'Killing Gawker' will follow the 70-year-old star's infamous $140 million legal battle against Gawker, which saw him win a lawsuit over the magazine's publication of a sex tape featuring him.

The jury found that the magazine violated Hogan's privacy by posting the video, and after the ruling, Gawker shut down.

It relaunched in July 2021 with a short-lived revival until February 2023.

Affleck and Damon previously teamed up on Amazon film 'Air'.

Damon played Nike employee Sonny Vaccaro in the movie, and Affleck directed and co-starred.

The biographical film followed Vaccaro's decision to set up a deal with then-NBA rookie Michael Jordan during a tough time for the shoe company.