Why Ben Affleck Was Seen Wearing a Wedding Ring in Los Angeles After Jennifer Lopez Divorce (Exclusive Source)

• A source tells PEOPLE that Ben Affleck has “been in a great mood and super fun to work with” on the set of his new movie Animals
• Affleck costars with Kerry Washington in the upcoming film, which the source describes as “another one of Ben’s passion projects”
• Netflix announced in March that Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Adriana Paz and Ray Fisher will also appear in Animals

Ben Affleck has a wedding ring on again — but the look is nothing nuptial.

While hard at work on his upcoming movie Animals — Affleck’s first movie as a writer, director and actor since 2023’s Air — the star was spotted on a smoke break from filming with a wedding ring on.

Affleck, 52, plays a married mayoral candidate alongside Kerry Washington, who plays his onscreen wife.

The Netflix film is “another one of Ben’s passion projects,” an industry source tells PEOPLE.

“He’s both acting and producing. He’s always great to work with,” the source adds, noting that Affleck, 52, portrays “a married mayoral candidate” in the movie. The actor and filmmaker was photographed wearing a wedding band on the movie’s set in recent photos.

“Filming just kicked off, but it’s been great so far,” the source adds of the production. “Ben’s been in a great mood and super fun to work with.”

Affleck is producing Animals, which began filming on March 7, through his and Matt Damon’s production company Artists Equity. Damon was initially intended to star in the Netflix movie, the source shares, but Damon’s busy schedule shooting Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey prevented him from joining the project. Deadline previously reported Damon’s scheduling conflict in February.

Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, Mark Kassen and Christopher Woodley also star in Animals. Netflix has yet to share plot details or a release date.

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Jennifer Lopez has also begun work on a new movie titled Office Romance, which begins filming in New Jersey this week, a source also tells PEOPLE.

The 55-year-old actress is excited to dive into new work and spend more time on the East Coast.

“She’s been looking forward to this new project,” the source shared. “She’s also happy to be out of Los Angeles and spend more time in NYC. She’s doing well.”

Animals will mark Affleck’s second consecutive collaboration with Netflix after RIP, the crime thriller he and longtime friend Damon, 54, will star in for the streaming service later this year.

The Oscar winner appeared at a January Netflix event to tease attendees about that movie by saying RIP “takes a look at the things people will do for money.” At that event, Affleck compared the action comedy to the movies Heat, Narc and Training Day. 

“Upon discovering millions in cash in a derelict stash house, trust among a team of Miami cops begins to fray,” reads a synopsis for RIP. “As outside forces learn about the size of the seizure, everything is called into question — including whom they can rely on.”