Netflix has released the official trailer for "Ray Gunn", a long-awaited animated science-fiction noir from two-time Oscar-winning director Brad Bird ("The Incredibles 1 & 2", "Ratatouille"). The film is a passion project that Bird first imagined more than 30 years ago, long before he directed "The Iron Giant".
Co-produced by Skydance Animation, "Ray Gunn" is set in Metropia, a huge futuristic city imagined from the perspective of 1939. The world combines classic Art Deco design with flying cars, advanced technology, and a society where humans and aliens live side by side. Beneath its polished surface, however, Metropia is filled with crime, corruption, and danger.
Bird has described the movie as a mix of "The Maltese Falcon" and "Buck Rogers". At its center is Raymond Gunn, a struggling private detective voiced by Sam Rockwell. Ray is a cynical, hard-boiled investigator who becomes caught in a complicated case involving murder, powerful criminals, aliens, and Venus Nova, a hugely popular multimedia star played by Scarlett Johansson.
Ray is not working alone. His closest partner is Eyera, a one-eyed alien voiced by musician Tom Waits. The film also features a large voice cast that includes Matt Berry as an alien crime boss, Alan Tudyk as Barry Vogel, Michelle Rodriguez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Chernus, Patton Oswalt, and John Ratzenberger, a familiar voice from many Pixar films.
The movie's unusual visual style is one of its biggest attractions. Bird has imagined Metropia as a retro-futuristic world filled with towering Art Deco buildings, flying vehicles, neon-lit streets, and a gritty criminal underworld. The result is designed to feel both futuristic and rooted in the look and mood of classic detective movies.
A project three decades in the making
Bird first came up with the idea for "Ray Gunn" in the late 1980s or early 1990s after seeing a television trailer for the 1989 film "Peter Gunn". He was drawn to the hard-boiled detective style but wanted to place that kind of story inside a bright, optimistic, retro-futuristic world.
He developed the screenplay with Matthew Robbins, who had previously worked with Bird on "batteries not included". The script was completed before "The Iron Giant", which was released in 1999.
The project was originally picked up by Warner Bros. during the 1990s, but it was eventually abandoned. At the time, the film's large budget and highly stylised hand-drawn animation were considered difficult to justify. The project then remained dormant for years.
Eventually, Skydance Animation and Netflix revived the film. With a reported budget of around $150 million and animation by Cinesite, Bird finally had the opportunity to bring his long-standing vision to the screen.
Bird has also shared a list of films that helped shape "Ray Gunn". These include classic noir movies such as "The Big Sleep" and "Out of the Past", as well as later films including "L.A. Confidential", "The Big Lebowski", and "Blade Runner 2049".
Release plans
"Ray Gunn" will premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10, 2026, with another festival screening scheduled for October 17. It will then receive a limited theatrical release beginning December 4, including selected 70mm screenings.
The film will arrive globally on Netflix on December 18, 2026.
The decision to show "Ray Gunn" in 70mm is unusual for a modern animated film and reflects the importance of its detailed visual design. Selected theaters in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and London are expected to screen it.
Exact participating theaters and showtimes have not yet been announced, so audiences interested in seeing "Ray Gunn" on the big screen will need to watch for ticket information as the December release approaches.
