Stories
Ben Affleck Reveals Extensive AI Use in Netflix Thriller 'Animals'
- •Ben Affleck confirmed AI was used "for lots of things" in his upcoming Netflix thriller, 'Animals', but declined to specify applications to maintain realism.
- •Affleck compared revealing AI's uses to a magician explaining a trick, emphasizing responsible AI deployment in a human-centric film.
- •AI significantly aided post-production, accelerating processes and enabling tasks that would otherwise be difficult to complete.
- •The film stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, and Steven Yeun, with Affleck playing a mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped.
- •Affleck views AI as a natural progression in filmmaking technology, not a replacement for human creativity, and addressed misconceptions about Netflix's filmmaking directives.
Key Questions Answered
Ben Affleck confirmed that artificial intelligence was used for "lots of things" during the production of Animals, particularly helping speed up post-production work that might otherwise have been difficult to complete. However, he declined to identify the exact applications to avoid interfering with audience realism and cinematic magic.
Animals stars Ben Affleck as a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped, forcing him and his wife Abigail, played by Kerry Washington, to raise a ransom within hours. Co-written by Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre, and Billy Ray, the film is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on October 9 alongside a select theatrical release.
Netflix paid approximately $587 million in cash to acquire Ben Affleck's AI filmmaking startup InterPositive, which was founded by Affleck in 2022. Following the acquisition, Affleck transitioned from CEO to a senior advisory role at Netflix while keeping the startup's team of engineers and researchers.
