Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’ Shows Off More of Its Noir Future in a New Netflix Trailer

Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’ has spent decades in development. Bird and Matthew Robbins originally wrote the script in 1996, when the project was set up at Turner Animation at Warner Bros. The animated sci-fi noir then sat dormant for years before finally moving forward.

Its revival came in 2022. That February, Skydance Animation announced that Bird would bring ‘Ray Gunn’ back to life after decades on hold. It was his first animated project since ‘Incredibles 2,’ which remains the highest-grossing Pixar film of all time.

Now the long wait is almost over. Netflix has released a second trailer and key art for ‘Ray Gunn,’ and the film opens in select theaters and in limited 70mm on December 4 before streaming on Netflix on December 18.

The new trailer heads straight into Metropia, a city where humans and aliens live side by side, flying cars fill the sky, and buildings stretch a mile high. At about 2 and a half minutes, it shows more of the city’s skyline and crowded streets than the first trailer Netflix released in September.

A new trailer for Brad Bird’s ‘RAY GUNN’ has been released. In select theaters on December 4 and Netflix on December 18. https://t.co/Z6YcVmKjiX

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 12, 2026

The trailer also expands the story. Sam Rockwell’s private eye is hired to keep Venus Nova, the multimedia star voiced by Scarlett Johansson, out of trouble, some of which she causes herself. One scene shows a shopkeeper selling Ray a teleportation ray gun, while a familiar face greets him with “Long time, no see, Ray. Look at this.”

The story leans into classic noir. Tiny “pry bots” now handle much of a private detective’s legwork, which leaves Ray and his partner Eye-Ra among the last investigators still working cases the old-fashioned way. Tom Waits voices Eye-Ra.

Bird has said the film draws on the movies he grew up loving, including Bogart detective pictures, the noir ‘Out of the Past’ and the worlds of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade. He has also pushed back on the idea that animation should only tell certain kinds of stories. “Animation is too fun a medium, and too interesting, to limit what kind of stories can be told,” Bird told Netflix’s Tudum.

New first looks at RAY GUNN which dropped today alongside a new poster and trailer. In theaters December 4th and on Netflix on December 18th. https://t.co/eb5kO6F26K

— What’s on Netflix (@whatonnetflix) November 12, 2026

The rest of the cast is just as impressive. The voice actors also include Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Chernus, Kether Donohue, Michelle Rodriguez, Aasif Mandvi, Matt Jones, Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger, Justin Peck and Patton Oswalt.

Bird directs from his own original story and co-wrote the screenplay with Robbins. John Lasseter, Bird, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg produce for Skydance Animation. Michael Giacchino composed the score.

New look at ‘RAY GUNN’, directed by Brad Bird (‘The Incredibles’) The film follows Raymund Gunn, the last human private detective, in a futuristic world inhabited by humans and aliens. In select theaters December 4 and on Netflix December 18. https://t.co/QUcfKMJ0WE

— Cinema Now (@CinemaaNow) November 12, 2026

Some viewers have already seen the film. Early reviews have been mixed, with some praising Bird’s use of animation and others finding the story a bit underwhelming. The film runs 1 hour and 59 minutes, long for an animated feature.

The release plan is unusual for a streaming film. The theatrical run starts first, and the Netflix debut lands on the same day Marvel’s ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ opens in theaters, which some outlets see as Netflix counterprogramming.

‘Ray Gunn’ also joins a strong Netflix animation slate. The streamer’s animated features include ‘K-pop Demon Hunters,’ its most popular film ever, and Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning ‘Pinocchio.’

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