Brad Bird’s long-gestating animated feature Ray Gunn has taken a big step into the spotlight, with Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson joining the cast of the Netflix and Skydance Animation film. Netflix’s Tudum revealed the first look at the project on April 9, describing it as a retro-futuristic detective noir set in a city filled with aliens, crime, and jetpacks. Industry outlets including Variety and Deadline also reported that Tom Waits is part of the voice cast, alongside returning animation regular John Ratzenberger.
Netflix’s official logline frames Ray Gunn as a mystery set in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future imagined through the lens of 1939. At the center is Raymond Gunn, described as a private eye who gets pulled into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova. Tudum’s first-look coverage pitches the movie as a “retro-futuristic caper,” which lines up with Brad Bird’s long-discussed love of combining classic noir energy with science-fiction world building.
While Netflix’s article does not spell out every casting assignment, outside coverage points to Rockwell voicing Raymond Gunn, with Johansson playing Venus Nova. Tom Waits is also reported to be in the film in a major supporting role, giving the project an unusually distinctive voice lineup even by high-end animation standards. That cast makes sense for the material: Rockwell has the loose, sharp-edged charisma for a detective lead, while Johansson fits the glamorous, enigmatic figure at the center of a noir mystery.
The bigger story here is that Ray Gunn is no ordinary new animated title. This is one of Bird’s most famous passion projects, a film idea he has been trying to bring to the screen for decades. Netflix’s unveiling effectively turns years of quiet anticipation into something concrete: there are now official images, a defined cast, and a real push behind the movie as a 2026 Netflix release. The first images highlight a towering cityscape, flying vehicles, alien citizens, and the polished retro-future aesthetic that has long made the project stand out in animation circles.
That setup alone gives Ray Gunn a strong identity in a crowded field. A lot of big animated films chase broad fantasy or family-comedy territory. This one is aiming somewhere else: detective noir filtered through sci-fi spectacle, with Bird working in a tone that appears more stylized and mature than the average mainstream animated release. Tudum describes the film as a city full of crime and jetpacks, which is exactly the kind of clean, high-concept hook that can cut through quickly if the execution lands.
What still has not been announced is an exact premiere date. Netflix has only confirmed that Ray Gunn is coming in 2026, not when during the year it will arrive. So any attempt to pin down a more specific launch window right now would be guesswork. But the first-look reveal, combined with the cast announcement, makes it clear that the film is no longer just a fascinating “what if” from Brad Bird’s career. It is now one of Netflix’s most notable upcoming animation releases.
