Ben Affleck’s public talk of working again with ex-wife Jennifer Garner has left her partner, CaliGroup chief executive John Miller, “enraged,” unnamed sources said in an exclusive report.
Affleck, 54, is the director, co-writer and star of the thriller “Animals,” which started streaming on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, after a theatrical run in select cities. The project said to be straining Garner’s relationship does not exist yet. It is a future on-screen reunion with Garner that Affleck has been talking up.
No one connected to the couple has gone on the record with the claim.
Co-Parenting Is One Thing
Miller has long understood that Affleck would remain in Garner’s life, the sources said, because the former couple share three children. Accepting a co-parenting arrangement is a different matter from hearing those comments, the sources said.
Garner and Miller have dated on and off since 2018. She has largely kept the romance out of public view.
The appeal of a reunion looks different depending on where you sit, the sources said. In the view of those sources, an actress he admires and has worked with before is simply a straightforward creative decision for Affleck.
Miller has worked to build a relationship with Garner outside the shadow of her marriage to Affleck, the sources said. A high-profile collaboration would put that history back in the spotlight.
Every interview tied to such a film would circle back to the divorce, the children and whether the two still have feelings for each other, according to a Hollywood insider quoted in the report. The sources also described Garner as someone who avoids conflict between the people who matter to her. Any decision about a reunion project would involve conversations about what everyone is comfortable with, they said.
A Role He Pictured Her In
Affleck made the comments in a mid-September interview with Entertainment Weekly about the long, winding development of “Animals” and the version of the film that never happened. “I thought, ‘God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,’” he told the magazine.
Garner, also 54, was cast early on as Abigail Kimball. Matt Damon, Affleck’s longtime friend and collaborator, was attached as her husband, Mark. Damon turned 56 on Oct. 8.
The project went on hold after Affleck learned that director Spike Lee was developing a kidnapping thriller of his own, “Highest 2 Lowest.” When the film came back to life, Damon was no longer available because of scheduling conflicts with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” The lead role went to Affleck himself.
Suddenly a married couple on screen could have been played by Affleck and Garner. The two talked the idea over and dropped it. “We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,” Garner said, as Affleck recounted the conversation.
Garner exited the project, and the role of Abigail went to Kerry Washington, 49. Affleck has not shelved the idea of working with her. He said he would love to collaborate with Garner, called her fabulous, described the pair as good friends and said he is deeply grateful to her.
He would still want to work with her in the future, he said. The risk, by his account, is handing an audience its own baggage and letting it work against the movie. Affleck has said he is still hunting for the right project to do with Garner.
A Mayoral Candidate’s Son Vanishes
Affleck co-wrote “Animals” with Connor O. McIntyre. The film follows Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose life unravels overnight when his son is kidnapped. Mark and Abigail scramble to raise ransom money, work out whom they can trust and watch their own secrets surface.
Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun and Ray Fisher round out the cast, along with Mexican stars Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz. The trailer and images came out on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from Netflix, a first look at Affleck directing himself for the first time since “Air” in 2023.
The film drew 23.8 million views in its first three days on Netflix and topped the service’s English-language film chart, despite largely negative reviews, according to What’s on Netflix.
Ten Years, Three Children, Two Films
Affleck and Garner appeared together on screen in “Pearl Harbor” in 2001 and “Daredevil” in 2003. They were married for 10 years, separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018.
Violet, 20; Fin, 17; and Samuel, 14 are the couple’s three children. Jennifer Lopez and Affleck finalized their divorce in 2025.
