(SeaPRwire) – Brad Bird is a master of science fiction animation. His career, spanning from The Iron Giant to The Incredibles, has consistently focused on genre filmmaking. This commitment continued in his live-action work, with varying success from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol to Tomorrowland. However, animation remains his foundation, and he is now realizing his dream project: Ray Gunn, an animated neo-noir sci-fi mystery feature aimed at adult audiences.
Although the script’s first draft was written decades ago, the film is now becoming a reality, with initial images released by its future distributor, Netflix. These first looks are available below.
A first glimpse of Ray Gunn has been unveiled by Netflix ahead of its planned release this year. An initial plot summary was also provided: “In Metropia, a massive city in an alternate future envisioned from a 1939 perspective, private investigator Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) becomes entangled in a case featuring aliens, murder, and a multimedia celebrity named Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson).”
The concept for Ray Gunn originated in the mid-to-late 1990s, sparked by a misheard lyric from the B-52s that motivated Brad Bird to create a retro-futuristic tale. Details of its early development are scarce, but a script from 1996 has been circulating online for years. As often happens in Hollywood, other films took precedence. The project was initially postponed for The Iron Giant, and a subsequent pitch to Pixar ultimately led to the creation of The Incredibles.
In more recent times, Bird has made this long-delayed film a priority. The forthcoming Incredibles 3 will be helmed by Elemental director Peter Sohn rather than Bird. This will be the first film in the franchise not directed by him, freeing him to concentrate his efforts on Ray Gunn.
The Incredibles and Ray Gunn share several common elements, including a retro-futuristic visual style, a score by Michael Giacchino, and science fiction themes. However, a major distinction lies in the intended viewership. This new project is not targeted at traditional animation enthusiasts. Bird is actually aiming to attract the opposite demographic. “A significant portion of the population avoids animation,” Bird stated to Tudum. “I am eager to win over that group because animation is a remarkable art form that people often underestimate.”
The film appears to be the culmination of Brad Bird’s professional journey. “My intention was always to merge science fiction with classic 1940s detective films,” he explained. “The concise pitch I developed is The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers.”
Ray Gunn premieres on Netflix in 2026.
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