Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Oscar-winner Ben Affleck is set to star in as well as direct the new Netflix movie, Animals. He will also produce the film alongside his frequent collaborator Matt Damon, the streaming service announced Thursday. The X Files and The Crown alum Gillian Anderson has signed on to co-star.

Kerry Washington and Steven Yeun join Ben Affleck's directorial thriller 'Animals', which also stars Affleck and Gillian Anderson. The plot centers around a mayoral candidate and his wife, whose son is kidnapped,

Ben Affleck has set up his next directing gig at Netlix, a thriller titled Animals and Gillian Anderson is set to star in it. The script for the project was written by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray and it will shoot in Los Angeles.

Ben Affleck and Gillian Anderson are set to star in kidnapping thriller "Animals" for Netflix, according to an insider with knowledge of the project. Affleck is also set to direct. Matt Damon was originally attached to star in the film but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey.

The project has been revived with Affleck still in the director’s chair. But he will now star in it as well. Gillian Anderson, the X-Files star who in recent years appeared as Margaret Thatcher in Netflix’s The Crown, is also joining the production. As before, the project aims to shoot in Los Angeles and is looking at an April start.

Ben Affleck is set to star in and direct 'Animals', a crime thriller he is reviving after a previous iteration stalled. Originally intended to star Matt Damon, with Affleck directing, the project from Artists Equity and Netflix fell apart last year due to screenplay issues.