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Ray Gunn

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For similarly named topics, see Raygun (disambiguation).

Ray Gunn
Teaser poster
Directed byBrad Bird
Screenplay by
Story byBrad Bird
Produced by
Starring
Edited byDarren T. Holmes
Music byMichael Giacchino
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • 2026 (2026)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$150 million+[1]

Ray Gunn is an upcoming American animated neo-noir science fiction mystery film directed by Brad Bird, who co-wrote it with Matthew Robbins, based on an original story by Bird. Produced by Skydance Animation, the film stars Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits. It is set for release on Netflix in 2026.[2][3]

Premise

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The film follows Ray Gunn, the last human private detective, in a futuristic world inhabited by humans and aliens.[3]

Voice cast

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Production

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Background and development

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Brad Bird wrote the original story for Ray Gunn as a mystery film set in an alternate future featuring "the sprawling, magnificent city of Metropia", and went on to develop the script with Matthew Robbins, who previously co-scribed with Bird on Batteries Not Included (1987).[6] Originally, the film was intended to be produced by Turner Feature Animation in the 1990s, but it was shelved when Bird went on to direct The Iron Giant (1999) at Warner Bros. Feature Animation instead following Turner Broadcasting System's merger with Time Warner in 1996.[7] Despite this, Bird did not forget about his Ray Gunn project, stating that he negotiated for the rights to the material and telling Warner Bros. that, "Either let's make it or let me try to make it somewhere else."[2] Apparently, when Bird came to Pixar, Bird offered them Ray Gunn, but the studio chose to produce The Incredibles (2004) instead, and Ray Gunn was never produced by Pixar.[8]

In 2021, Bird signed a deal with Skydance Animation to direct Ray Gunn.[2] The project saw Bird re-team not only with John Lasseter, under whose leadership at Pixar he wrote and directed The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), and Incredibles 2 (2018),[9] but also with David Ellison and Dana Goldberg, under whose leadership at Skydance Media he directed Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011);[2] all four would serve as producers on the film.[9] Bird also reassembled frequent collaborators including music composer Michael Giacchino, character designers Teddy Newton and Tony Fucile, editor Darren T. Holmes, and storyboard artist Jeffrey Lynch for the film.[2] In February 2022, it was officially announced that Bird would revive the project after it became dormant for decades.[9] That July, Bird described Ray Gunn as a more adult project in the noir genre, "sort of a detective film in an alternate future" that follows protagonist Raymond Gunn. He stated, "If you mashed up The Maltese Falcon with Buck Rogers, it might be something like that. But hopefully with a bit more action and funnier."[2] In October 2023, it was reported that the film would be computer-animated instead of hand-drawn as originally conceived, and that the budget had been trimmed,[10] which would later be revealed to be $150+ million.[1] Following the announcement of Pixar's Incredibles 3 (2028) in August 2024, TheWrap reported that Ray Gunn was still in development, and that it would be released by Netflix in 2026.[11] His commitment to the project would cause Bird to step away from directing his screenplay for Incredibles 3, choosing Peter Sohn to replace him as director.[12] Skydance Animation Madrid's VP of Finance and Operations, Carolina Borreguero Sanz, confirmed in October 2025 that Ray Gunn would release after the studio's third film, Swapped, both in 2026.[3] In April 2026, Lisa Beroud was revealed to be another producer on the film.[4]

Animation and voice recording

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Animation for the film was provided by Skydance Animation Madrid and Cinesite Animation[13] under the supervision of Skydance. In September 2025, John Ratzenberger, who previously voiced characters in each of Bird's Pixar films (the Underminer in the Incredibles films and Mustafa the waiter in Ratatouille),[14] revealed during an appearance at FanX that he had begun voice recording for the film.[15] In April 2026, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits were confirmed to have joined the cast.[16][4]

Music

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On July 27, 2022, Michael Giacchino, who had composed the music for each of Bird's films beginning with The Incredibles, was announced to compose the film's musical score.[17]

Release

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Ray Gunn is scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2026.[3] It was originally set to be released by Apple TV+.[9] The film is set to be previewed at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 24.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b Masters, Kim; Weprin, Alex (June 9, 2024). "Why Is Shari Redstone so Upset?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Keegan, Rebecca; Giardina, Carolyn (July 27, 2022). "John Lasseter's Second Act". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Szalai, Georg (October 2, 2025). "Netflix's 'Pookoo' Changes Title to 'Swapped' and Other Updates From Skydance Animation Madrid". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Grobar, Matt (April 9, 2026). "Brad Bird's 'Ray Gunn' Adds Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson & Tom Waits To Voice Cast – First Look". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  5. ^ "Post from Jamie Costa". YouTube. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  6. ^ Taylor, Drew (February 17, 2022). "Animated Detective Noir 'Ray Gunn' From Brad Bird Finally in the Works at Skydance". TheWrap. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  7. ^ "The Making of The Iron Giant". Warner Bros. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  8. ^ "The Incredibles (2004)". am.animatedviews.com. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c d Fleming Jr, Mike (February 17, 2022). "Skydance Animation Brings The Incredibles Brad Bird Into Fold To Direct His Animated Film Creation Ray Gunn". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on February 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Desowitz, Bill (October 18, 2023). "Why Netflix Is a Better Streaming Fit for Skydance Animation Than Apple". IndieWire. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Taylor, Drew (August 10, 2024). "Incredibles 3 in the Works at Pixar". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Verhoven, Beatrice (June 10, 2025). "'Incredibles 3' Finds Its Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Amidi, Amid (April 11, 2025). "Cinesite Is Hiring For Brad Bird's 'Ray Gunn', Which Is Now In Production". Cartoon Brew. Cartoon Brew. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  14. ^ Wiese, Jason (March 10, 2020). "Every Character John Ratzenberger Has Played In A Pixar Movie, Including Onward". Cinema Blend. Retrieved April 10, 2026.
  15. ^ Kelley, Aidan (September 27, 2025). "Incredibles Creator's Sci-Fi Detective Movie Finally Gets an Encouraging Update After 3 Years of Silence". Collider. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  16. ^ Lee, Stephan (April 9, 2026). "Set Your Sights on Brad Bird's Animated Detective Noir Ray Gunn". Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  17. ^ "Michael Giacchino to Score Brad Bird's Ray Gunn". Film Music Reporter. July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  18. ^ Taylor, Drew (May 7, 2026). "Netflix's Robust Annecy Lineup Includes Brad Bird's 'Ray Gunn', 'Ghostbusters' and 'Blue Eye Samurai' Season 2". TheWrap. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
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