Release Date, Runtime, Plot, Cast & Everything We Know

After nearly 30 years of development (in various forms and states), the passion project of renowned animation director Brad Bird, Ray GunnFinally seeing the light of day. Expected to arrive exclusively on Netflix in late 2026, the sci-fi noir spy story will be the third feature film to emerge from the multi-year deal between Netflix and Skydance Animation.

Aside from the initial announcement in 2024 that the film would be part of the Skydance Animation slate coming to Netflix, there was mostly radio silence on the project – but a lot of hype. That all changed after Netflix’s huge reveal at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival earlier this year, where we finally got our first real look at the film.

Here’s our fully updated, comprehensive guide Ray GunnIncluding the star-studded voice cast, the plot, the powerhouse creative team, all-new runtime and ratings information and the film’s long journey to our screens.

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30 years journey of netflix

Ray Gunn The ultimate passion project. Brad Bird and Matthew Robbins originally wrote the script in 1996. The film was developed at Turner Animation (Warner Bros.). For decades, it was conceived as a 2D hand-drawn animated film, but struggled to find a studio willing to support its ambitious scale and slightly more mature tone.

However, the idea came from a surprisingly goofy place: a misheard pop song. Speaking at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, Bird revealed that the spark was sparked when he misheard the B-52s track “Planet Claire”, thinking he heard it as Henry Mancini’s famous “peter gunn“The topic that resulted in the mashup name”Ray Gunn“

The project was eventually revived at Skydance Animation under the leadership of John Lasseter. Originally set to air on Apple TV+, the sprawling sci-fi epic – which reportedly had a budget of over $150 million – found a new home when Skydance signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix. It eventually transitioned from its original 2D roots to a state-of-the-art 3D CG animated feature, with Cinesite assisting in the production.

But animation purists, rejoice! As Bird explained in detail during a special Annecy panel, which we covered extensively, Ray Gunn It relies entirely on pure keyframe animation. No motion capture is used in the film at all.

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what is the plot of Ray Gunn?

Ray Gunn is an ambitious sci-fi noir that blends 1930s pulp detective stories with detailed, futuristic world-building based entirely on Earth.

The official synopsis teases:

“In Metropia, a vast city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is dragged into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.”

Director Brad Bird recently described the film as the ultimate blend of genres. “The film is a mix of 40s science fiction and classic spy films…It is Maltese Falcon meeting of buck rogers“said the bird.

In this vast retro-futuristic metropolis, humans and aliens live strangely together. The world leans heavily on optimistic Art Deco and streamlined designs inspired by Hugh Ferriss and Raymond Loewy. But beneath that shiny exterior lies a classic noir full of desperate characters and corruption. When a hardened private investigator takes over a new murder case, he finds himself embroiled in a massive conspiracy centered on the town’s biggest celebrity.

Thematically, Bird has said that the film deals with identity, particularly those who are hiding aspects of themselves, reminding us that we all “have many characters.”

During the Annecy Film Festival, lucky attendees were shown the first seven minutes of the film (which begins with a visually spectacular robbery) as well as a clip of Ray trying to short an arms dealer $40 for an alien-tech “L8-13 Fire Blaster” after his gun breaks. Based on those early looks, Netflix has a serious awards contender this holiday season.

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Who is in the voice cast? Ray Gunn?

Netflix and Skydance Animation have assembled an incredible voice cast to bring the stylish citizens of Metropia to life.

• Sam Rockwell (Argyll, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) leads the cast as the titular character Raymond Gunn, a gritty human gumshoe who uncovers a treacherous, alien-filled mystery.
• Scarlett Johansson (black mother, His) is the voice of Venus Nova, a mysterious multimedia star involved in the Gunn murder investigation. Johansson had previously praised the project, calling the collaboration with Bird a “career milestone” and promising an animation style that “looks like nothing else out there.”
• tom waits (buster scruggs song) joins the cast as an alien named Aira, bringing her distinctive gritty voice to the neo-noir world.
• “Buck” – In a hilarious revelation in Annecy, Bird shared that the voice of a sarcastic underground arms dealer featured in an exclusive clip was not the A-lister, but her son’s soccer coach, Buck!

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Who is behind the film?

Ray Gunn Directed by two-time Academy Award winner Brad Bird, the visionary filmmaker behind the beloved animated classics iron giant, IncredibleAnd Ratatouille. Bird also developed the original story and wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robbins (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio).

The film has a huge, top-tier creative team behind the scenes:

• Manufacturer: With John Lasseter, Brad Bird, Lisa Beraud, David Ellison, and Dana Goldberg (producers for Skydance Animation), Connie Nartanis Thompson, Hannah Minghella, Alex Schwartz, and Karen Rupert Tolliver.
• Composer: Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Above, Incredible, batman) reunites with Bird to provide the score.
• Dress Design: Nessa Bowe (Moana, Encanto)
• Editor: Darren T. Holmes and Carl Armstrong
• Visual Effects: Adele Abada, James Rothwell, Joshua Herrig and Julia Spurek
• Casting: Odin Erickson, Jason Henkel, Daniel Morozin, and Espen Ramsdell
• Additional Instructions: Yaaro Cheeni (The Secret Life of Pets)
• Assistant Director: CJ Hsu
• Set Decoration: Jeff Wagner

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Ray Gunn Runtime and age rating

We have some exclusive new updates regarding the final cut of the film!

We can officially confirm this Ray Gunn will have a runtime of 1 hour 59 minutes.

Additionally, the film has been officially Rated PG (Controversial given that many expected it to be PG-13) for violence, action, language, some suggestive content and thematic elements. This rating aligns perfectly with the slightly more mature, gritty neo-noir tone Bird has been promising for decades, ensuring that it packs a punch without losing its broad appeal.

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when will it happen Ray Gunn Will it be released on Netflix?

If you’ve been following our next on Netflix animation roundup from Annecy, you already know the good news.

Ray Gunn Will officially premiere globally on Netflix 18 December 2026.

This release was the subject of heated debate between Skydance and Netflix each year. Special report from TheWrap. Earlier this spring, an opportunity presented itself Ray Gunn To get a massive dramatic push. Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Wizard’s Nephew It was originally scheduled for a special two-week IMAX theatrical window this Thanksgiving before arriving on Netflix in December. When? narnia Delayed to February 2027 Ray Gunn The team lobbied aggressively to capture the Thanksgiving IMAX slot. Brad Bird is no stranger to IMAX, having successfully helmed highly lucrative “Roadshow” releases for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
However, Netflix chose to move forward Ray Gunn For slot. Instead, the streamer awarded the highly coveted IMAX window for David Fincher’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Brad Pitt plays Cliff Booth in the sequel.

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Are you excited for Brad Bird’s new movie? Let us know in the comments below. (You can see all of our early ray gun coverage right here.)