3 Minutes
A neon-lit heist. A private eye with a chip on his shoulder. The first images of Ray Gunn landed at Annecy and they feel like a page torn from a stylish comic book.
Brad Bird, who has carried this idea for nearly three decades, finally pushed the project into production. At the festival he revealed two fresh images and confirmed a Netflix premiere on December 18, while attendees were treated to the film’s opening seven minutes: a high-stakes robbery set in the sprawling, futuristic metropolis called Metropia.
Raymond Gunn—voiced by Sam Rockwell—takes center stage. He’s a hardboiled private detective thrown into a tangled case that threads together aliens, murder, and a pop star named Venus Nova, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The tone? Noir soaked in neon, equal parts grit and wink.
The story of how Ray Gunn reached screens is almost as cinematic as the film itself. Talk of it stretches back years, stalled by financing hurdles until Netflix stepped in. Reportedly no other studio wanted to underwrite the reported $150 million price tag. Skydance and Paramount had been attached at points, and the road to production wasn’t exactly smooth.
Tension followed the project into the finished cut. Bird pushed for a wide theatrical rollout—IMAX included—arguing the movie’s ambitious visuals deserve the biggest screens. Netflix, by contrast, favored a streaming-first path and, according to sources, would like a PG-friendly rating to broaden the audience. A darker, edgier final product is what the footage suggests, so compromises were part of the process.
The finished film blends noir, action, and comedy in a way that doesn’t lean safe. Expect stylish set pieces, slick animation, and a mood that flirts with menace while smiling at itself. Will it see a limited theatrical run for awards eligibility? Perhaps. Will it land in living rooms worldwide on Netflix on December 18? That’s the plan for now.
Movie fans hungry for fresh animation — and anyone who loves a well-staged caper — will want to watch how Ray Gunn performs once it’s out in the wild.
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