Brad Bird's 'Ray Gunn' First Trailer Debuts: Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson Lead Netflix's $150 Million Sci-Fi Noir

After thirty years of languishing in Hollywood development lore, legendary animation director Brad Bird is officially bringing his dream passion project to life. Netflix and Skydance Animation have officially unveiled the stunning debut trailer for Ray Gunn, a lavish $150 million retro-futuristic sci-fi noir that fearlessly pushes American feature animation far beyond the conventional family-friendly mold.

Set across the rain-drenched streets of Metropia—a sprawling, neon-soaked art-deco metropolis where humans and extraterrestrial citizens coexist in an uneasy subterranean underworld—the film follows titular private investigator Raymond Gunn, voiced by Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Iron Man 2, Argylle). When a routine missing persons case spirals into the brutal murder of an elite interstellar diplomat, Gunn is dragged into a labyrinthine conspiracy involving corporate espionage, corrupt syndicate bosses, and treacherous femme fatales.

A Powerhouse Voice Ensemble: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, and Bobby Cannavale

Co-written by Bird alongside veteran screenwriter Matthew Robbins (who previously teamed up with Bird on 1987’s cult classic Batteries Not Included and collaborated with Guillermo del Toro on the Oscar-winning Pinocchio), Ray Gunn boasts an exceptional, star-studded vocal ensemble. Two-time Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, Her, Marriage Story) co-stars as the enigmatic nightclub chanteuse Constance Vega, whose razor-sharp wit and clandestine loyalties make her an unpredictable ally in Gunn's gritty investigation.

The stellar ensemble also features gravel-voiced musical icon and character actor Tom Waits (Seven Psychopaths, Bram Stoker's Dracula), Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale (The Watcher, Boardwalk Empire), versatile character actor Michael Chernus (Severance, Spider-Man: Homecoming), and beloved animation voice veteran Alan Tudyk (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Moana). Delivering the pulse behind the mystery is two-time Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (The Batman, Up), who reunites with Bird to craft a sumptuous, smoky jazz score that perfectly complements the movie’s shadowy cinematography.

Why Millennials Are Hyped: Auteur Animation for Grown-Ups

For millennial audiences who grew up revering Brad Bird’s foundational storytelling—from the heartbreaking emotional weight of The Iron Giant to Pixar's genre-defining The Incredibles and Ratatouille, as well as the adrenaline-fueled thrills of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol—Ray Gunn represents the holy grail of adult-oriented American animation. Bird has spent his entire career championing the medium of animation as an art form rather than a babysitting genre, aiming to capture the moody spirit of classic hard-boiled detective fiction like The Maltese Falcon, Chinatown, and Blade Runner.

Backed by producer David Ellison under Skydance Animation and distributed through their extensive multi-year exclusive partnership with Netflix, the streaming titan confirmed that Ray Gunn will receive a limited 70mm theatrical engagement in select cinemas worldwide ahead of its global streaming premiere, promising cinephiles the ultimate visual experience.