Ben Affleck wanted Jennifer Garner to play his wife in Animals

Ben Affleck wanted his ex-wife Jennifer Garner to play his wife in his new crime thriller Animals.

Affleck said Garner would have been "amazing" in the part, but the pair agreed the on-screen reunion would bring too much "baggage", according to Variety. He made the comments in an interview with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the film's release. The two were married from 2005 to 2018.

The role Affleck had in mind for Garner was Mark's therapist wife, Entertainment Weekly reported. It is the central female lead opposite the film's male protagonist, Mark Kimball. Affleck directs the film as well as stars in it.

That male lead was not first written for Affleck. Matt Damon was initially attached to play Mark Kimball, Variety reported. Damon then became attached to The Odyssey. Affleck stepped in to replace him.

Kerry Washington now plays Abigail, the wife of Affleck's character. Affleck plays a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose son is kidnapped. The script was co-written by Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray.

Animals premieres on Oct. 9 on Netflix, according to Variety. It will also play in select theatres, alongside its streaming launch, Entertainment Weekly previously reported in August. The film is described as a crime thriller.

What makes this stand out is how open Affleck was about the casting what-if. Ex-partners sharing a screen often becomes the story. Here, both actors chose to leave that story untold.