Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson to headline Brad Bird's animated Netflix film, Ray Gunn
There are few directors that have left as much of a mark in the world of animation as that of Brad Bird, who during his time working with Disney and Pixar, gave the world The Incredibles and Ratatouille, and even the beloved The Iron Giant before that. To say that Bird understands how to make timeless and amazing animation is perhaps an understatement.
The reason we bring this up is because Bird will soon serve up his next directed animation, his latest since The Incredibles 2 in 2018. It's regarded as Ray Gunn, and it's a stylish flick that combines a sci-fi setting with that of a classic 1940s-styled detective premise, all to make for a film with a blend of genres and ideas.
The synopsis for Ray Gunn is officially explained as follows: "In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder and a multimedia star named Venus Nova."
As for why Ray Gunn is being spotlighted as of the moment, Netflix has just shared a ton of extra information in relation to the project, namely in the form of which actors will be headlining the movie. We're told that Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson will be coming together as the lead actor and actress in the movie, while Tom Waits also joins the cast. It's unclear who Waits will voice, but we are told that Johansson lends her talent to Venus Nova, and Rockwell almost certainly will voice the titular Raymond Gunn.
Beyond this, Netflix has shared a few new images of the movie. We're not told when exactly Ray Gunn will debut on the streaming platform, other than that it will be sometime in 2026, but Bird has commented on what he hopes to achieve with this flick.
"Ray Gunn has been in my mind for over 30 years. The film is a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the '40s...it's Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers. I've been a fan of both of those sort of genres, and blending them together seemed fun, and a chance to play with a lot of very cinematic elements, and extreme characters.
"There's a big chunk of people who don't watch animation. That's a group I'm anxious to persuade because it's an amazing art form that is way too limited in people's minds. Animation as a medium is too interesting to limit what kind of stories can be told."
With a premiere date later in 2026, expect a first trailer for Ray Gunn in the months ahead.
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