Netflix has finally acknowledged the existence of Brad Bird’s “Ray Gunn,” sharing the first official images of the upcoming neo-noir sci-fi action animated movie. The film is scheduled to premiere sometime this year.
“Ray Gunn” will not be completed in its originally intended hand-drawn animation style. Instead, it appears the film is moving forward in CGI, likely a practical decision given the scale and budget of the project. Regardless, this is great news, and will surely please animation fans worldwide.
“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,” reads the official synopsis.
Furthermore, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits have been added to the voice cast — they will respectively play Raymond Gunn, Venus Nova, and Eyera.
“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,” Bird said in a statement. “I’ve been a fan of both of those sorts of genres, and blending them together seemed fun — and a chance to play with a lot of very cinematic elements and extreme characters.”
So, yes, finally, “Ray Gunn” — the sci-fi noir he’s been trying to make for over three decades — is finally happening. After years in limbo, Netflix stepped in as the only studio willing to back its hefty $150M budget. Production began in 2024.
When Brad Bird hits, he really hits. I’m talking “The Iron Giant,” “Ratatouille,” “The Incredibles,” and even his live-action outing, “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol.” Sure, he has a reputation for being uncompromising and difficult to collaborate with, but many great artists are. Bird is a true visionary.
