Netflix and Skydance Animation have officially revealed new details about Ray Gunn, the highly anticipated animated feature from two-time Academy Award-winning director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille). The project, long described as a passion piece for the filmmaker, will feature a standout voice cast led by Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits.
Set in the sprawling metropolis of Metropia, an alternate future imagined through the lens of 1939, Ray Gunn follows private investigator Raymond Gunn (Rockwell), who becomes entangled in a mysterious case involving aliens, murder, and a glamorous multimedia star named Venus Nova (Johansson).
"Ray Gunn has been in my mind for over 30 years," said Bird in a statement. "The film is a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the '40s…it's The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers. I've been a fan of both of those sort of genres, and blending them together seemed fun, and a chance to play with a lot of very cinematic elements, and extreme characters."
The director also emphasized his desire to expand audience perceptions of animation as a storytelling medium. "There's a big chunk of people who don't watch animation. That's a group I'm anxious to persuade because it's an amazing art form that is way too limited in people's minds. Animation as a medium is too interesting to limit what kind of stories can be told," Bird added.
For Johansson, joining the project marks a significant milestone in her career. Fresh off major box office success with Jurassic World: Rebirth and with roles in the upcoming The Exorcist installment, the actress expressed her excitement about collaborating with Bird. "Having the opportunity to collaborate with Brad Bird is a career milestone for me; I have loved his work my entire life. This project is so uniquely special because it is a total realization of where Brad is currently on his artistic journey. I can't wait for audiences to see this extraordinary animation that looks like nothing else out there," she said.
Ray Gunn is directed by Bird from a screenplay he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins, based on Bird's original story. The film is produced by John Lasseter, Bird, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison, and Dana Goldberg for Skydance Animation.
