An old-school detective investigates a futuristic city where humans and aliens live side by side. Netflix unveils the first trailer for Ray Gunn, an animated film written and directed by Brad Bird, slated to stream on the platform on December 18, 2026.
The story unfolds in Metropia, a sprawling metropolis imagined as a future conceived back in 1939. Cars soar between Art Deco–inspired skyscrapers, while small robots now handle a substantial portion of the work once carried out by private investigators.
Raymond Gunn, voiced in the original by Sam Rockwell, remains stubbornly wedded to the old ways. Alongside Eye-Ra, his one-eyed alien partner voiced by Tom Waits, he’s among the last investigators who still roam the city’s streets on foot.
His daily life is upended when Venus Nova, a media star as famous as she is controversial and voiced by Scarlett Johansson, drags him into a case that blends murder, aliens, and corruption. The investigation takes Ray from Metropia’s most prestigious neighborhoods to its underbelly.
Brad Bird himself describes the project as a cross between The Maltese Falcon and Buck Rogers. The director thus pairs the disillusioned detectives of 1940s American cinema with a science-fiction adventure built around a spectacular city and alien characters.
The filmmaker has been developing this story since the start of his career, well before he tackled The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. That long maturation explains why Metropia’s visual world matters so much and why the film pursues a more grown-up tone.
Produced by Skydance Animation, Ray Gunn will receive a limited rollout in select U.S. cinemas, with 70mm screenings, starting December 4, 2026. No release in French theaters has been announced: in France, the film will be available on Netflix on December 18.
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