August // 2026
Ben Affleck ran through LA's Storm Drains: Where the movie Animals was filmed
Animals
He directed it. He co-wrote it. He stars in it. And when the script called for gunfire and a chase through Los Angeles' iconic concrete storm drain system, Ben Affleck was in the tunnels himself. Principal photography began on March 7, 2025, in Los Angeles, wrapping on April 16 — forty days of filming entirely within Los Angeles, followed by a brief additional shoot in the summer.
Animals — a political crime thriller from Affleck and Matt Damon's Artists Equity production company — opens in select theatres and globally on Netflix on October 9, 2026. It follows Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball (Affleck) and his wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) whose son is kidnapped, forcing them into a desperate scramble to raise the ransom while keeping the situation secret from a city watching their every move.
Filmed entirely within LA, Netflix confirmed that the producers are "committed to supporting the local film industry, keeping jobs within the community" — a deliberate statement at a moment when the industry is actively working to keep major productions in the city.
The Original Farmers Market
On April 15, 2025, filming took place at The Original Farmers Market at 6333 W 3rd Street — one of Los Angeles' most beloved and enduring public spaces, open since 1934. Cameras rolled near Stall 432, where Affleck and Steven Yeun filmed scenes in which their characters handed out campaign leaflets.
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The LA River Storm Drain System
In early July 2025 — weeks after the main shoot had wrapped — the production returned to Los Angeles for additional filming in the city's storm drain system. Intense scenes were filmed inside the iconic concrete tunnels featuring gunfire and dramatic chases, suggesting this is one of the film's climactic sequences. Affleck was spotted front and centre, carrying a duffel bag through the tunnels. Luis Gerardo Méndez was also present.
The LA River storm drain system is one of the most recognisable action film environments in the world — used in Grease, Terminator 2 and Drive, among dozens of others.
Animals opens in theatres and on Netflix on October 9, 2026.
SOURCE
What's on Netflix // Wikipedia // IMDb / Instagram
CREDITS
Netflix Studios, Artist Equity, Fifth Season
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