Ben Affleck is leaning more into Hollywood’s business side after his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.
Affleck served as a producer on “Unstoppable” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” both of which starred his second ex-wife.
Both films performed well in theaters, setting the stage for the actor’s next big project, which almost brought his first wife back into the picture.
Affleck reportedly dangled a new role in front of his former “Daredevil” co-star, Jennifer Garner.
But after much reconsideration, he ultimately gave the role to a Black actress.
The new crime thriller, “Animals,” follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate (Affleck) and his wife as they desperately try to get their kidnapped son back.
The kidnapping takes place during the electoral race and puts pressure on the couple’s crumbling marriage and his campaign as secrets are unveiled.
Affleck, a crime drama fan, first announced the project in 2024, tagging himself in as producer and director. But making movies is no smooth process.
As Oct. 9 approaches, Affleck is revealing how his ex-wife nearly landed the role—and why the project was almost scrapped entirely.
Initially, Affleck’s best friend, Matt Damon, was set to play the mayoral candidate, and Garner would have played Damon’s on-screen wife.
“I thought, God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,” Affleck told Entertainment Weekly.
“It also has the added benefit of, like, both of us will see our kids more because we do a week and a week and back and forth. I thought, well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.”
Affleck and Garner were married for 10 years before they split in 2015. They share three children: Violet Affleck, 20, Seraphina Affleck, 17, and Samuel Affleck, 13.
Garner’s held leading roles in films like “Elektra,” “13 Going on 30,” “Family Switch,” “Peppermint,” and “Juno.”
So Affleck thought Garner would be a good option because he felt, “She can bring something interesting that she hasn’t [done], that I kind of know she can do, that I don’t think she had a chance to do in one movie.”
Two weeks before production, he made major changes. He also had to pause after learning Spike Lee was making a Denzel Washington-led movie, “Highest to Lowest,” about a music mogul’s son getting kidnapped.
Both films have a similar thematic device, but Affleck didn’t want it to seem like he was competing with Lee’s work.
But as the months went by, Affleck couldn’t let the film go. So he decided to move forward, but another issue arose. His lead star, Damon, could no longer play the lead character because he’d accepted the lead role in “Odyssey.”
The two-time Academy Award-winning actor who’s starred in over 80 films decided to replace Damon himself.
But that would mean he and Garner would portray a husband and wife hashing out their issues, and they knew the public would make it bigger than it was.
“I talked to Jen, and she was like, ‘We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,’” Affleck said.
He continued complimenting the mother of his kids by saying, “I would love to work with her, frankly. She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing.”
“I still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don’t wanna do is take the audience’s baggage and have it work against you, you know? said Affleck.
Instead, he picked “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington to fill his ex-wife’s shoes on camera.
“She’s very polished, but she’s also very warm. I thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s amazing for this,’” Affleck said.
The “Daredevil” lead and Garner split in 2015 after seeking counseling. He thanked her for supporting his alcohol addiction treatment in 2017. Garner filed for divorce later that year, and they finalized it in 2018.
They maintained a positive co-parenting relationship even after he married Jennifer Lopez in 2022. When he and Lopez split in 2024, Affleck and Garner still attended their children’s school events together as Garner continued dating John Miller, her on-and-off businessman boyfriend since 2018.
Once Page Six readers discovered Garner was cast in the “Animals” role and then given the boot, one person said, “Ben certainly has an MO where Jennifer is concerned.”
Another person suspects: “Ben is keeping her close, hoping her current relationship fails so he can jump in.”
Garner is rarely seen with Miller, fueling speculation about whether they are together. Back in October 2024, paparazzi photographed the actress wearing a gold ring with a turquoise-like gemstone on her ring finger while driving her BMW.
The couple has not publicly confirmed an engagement. However, an alleged insider told Life & Style in February that they had “considered themselves informally engaged for well over a year,” adding that those close to them knew about their plans.
The source expected the wedding to take place the following year. Still, Garner and Miller have neither confirmed nor denied the engagement rumors.
A few critics wondered if Affleck’s initial plan to cast Garner was a ploy to get her back. “He has been trying to weasel back in for quite some time. Perhaps this will seal the deal. It’s a wonder Miller is still hanging around at this point.”
“Move on Ben, you’re divorced already,” he was warned by others who were just as happy he didn’t reunite with Lopez. “Glad he didn’t cast Jennifer Lopez. I’m sick of both of them.”
Supporting who was chosen for the role, one supporter said, “I think Kerry Washington was a good choice, but I feel that with all Ben’s shenanigans, he needs to step back and get on the other side of the camera, get back to directing/producing, I don’t think the public is ready for him to be onscreen, let alone with his ex-wife playing a married couple; that will open up a whole can of worms.”
For now, Kerry Washington’s casting has supporters breathing a sigh of relief. The reaction shows that fans remain divided over Affleck’s casting choices and his history with his ex-wives.
While some celebrated his decision to move on, others questioned whether another onscreen reunion would have reignited old drama.
When their son is kidnapped, an LA mayoral candidate and his wife scramble to raise the ransom while making choices that could tear their world apart.
Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, with Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez… pic.twitter.com/P2PGtOq4Kk
— Netflix (@netflix) September 15, 2026
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