UPDATE: Brad Bird, known for his acclaimed work in animation including “The Simpsons,” “The Iron Giant,” “The Incredibles,” and “Ratatouille” — what a resume — is finally bringing his passion project “Ray Gunn” to the screen.
In a new interview with Empire Magazine, we get a fresh look at Bird’s retro sci-fi noir, which he has been developing since the 1990s and will debut on Netflix later this year. The image is posted below — it does seem to have a fairly similar animation style to “The Incredibles.”
The film follows Sam Rockwell as the titular Ray Gunn, a hardened yet humorous private detective and the last human in a galaxy filled with alien beings, who becomes drawn into a complex mystery. Bird praises Rockwell’s expressive, unpredictable performance, saying it helped inspire the animation process.
Bird describes “Ray Gunn” as a blend of noir, action, and comedy, promising a “really good time.” We’ll get a closer look at the film when a portion of it screens at the Annecy Film Festival this month.
EARLIER: Brad Bird’s animated noir “Ray Gunn” is by far the most anticipated animated film of the year — is there even a close second? It is finally nearing release after more than 30 years in development, though fans have still only seen limited glimpses of the project.
That may soon change, as Netflix has confirmed the film will screen footage at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. A newly released teaser poster, or maybe it’s concept art, has been released, showing private detective Raymond Gunn walking through a highly stylized alleyway — below.
The $150M-costing film, which blends murder mysteries, and retro-futuristic aesthetics, a stylish revival of classic old-school animation and noir storytelling, has an intriguing voice cast: Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits.
