First look at Brad Bird’s RAY GUNN, plus Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits join the cast of this 2026 animated Netflix film.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have officially pulled back the curtain on one of their most anticipated projects: Brad Bird’s RAY GUNN. Along with a set of first-look images, it has been announced that the powerhouse voice cast will be led by Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell, Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson, and the legendary Tom Waits.
“RAY GUNN has been in my mind for over 30 years,” Bird shared. “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.”
The film transports audiences to Metropia, a sprawling, glittering city depicted as an alternate future seen through the lens of 1939. The story follows Raymond Gunn (Rockwell), a gritty private eye who finds himself over his head when he is drawn into a high-stakes case involving murder, extraterrestrials, and a captivating multimedia superstar named Venus Nova (Johansson).
Johansson, who voices the mysterious Venus Nova, expressed her excitement for the collaboration:
“Having the opportunity to collaborate with Brad Bird is a career milestone for me; I have loved his work my entire life,” said Johansson. “This project is so uniquely special because it is a total realization of where Brad is currently on his artistic journey. I can’t wait for audiences to see this extraordinary animation that looks like nothing else out there.”
With a screenplay by Bird and Matthew Robbins, and produced by a heavy-hitting team including John Lasseter, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Lisa Beroud, RAY GUNN aims to expand the boundaries of the art form. Bird is vocal about his mission to reach those who usually skip animated features:
“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,” Bird stated.
Scheduled for a 2026 release, RAY GUNN is coming soon to Netflix.
