First Look at Brad Bird's Animated Sci-Fi Detective Movie RAY GUN Starring Sam Rockwell and Scarlett Johansson

When Brad Bird makes an animated film, it’s worth paying attention. This is the guy who gave us The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. So, when it was revealed that he was making a sci-fi detective movie titled Ray Gun, it instantly shot up the list of must-watch films!

Now we finally have our first real look at it, and it’s exactly the kind of strange, stylish mix you’d hope for. The film is set in an alternate future imagined through a 1939 lens, which gives the film a pulp noir vibe.

At the center is Ray Gunn, a private investigator voiced by Sam Rockwell, who gets pulled into a case tangled up with aliens, murder, and a larger-than-life celebrity named Venus Nova, who is played by Scarlett Johansson. Then there’s Tom Waits voicing Eyera, a mysterious green figure who seems to be right in the middle of the chaos.

Bird has been sitting on this idea for decades, and you can feel that long-brewing passion in how he talks about it. He said in a press release:

“Ray Gunn has been in my mind for over 30 years. The film is a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the ’40s … it’s 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 film pulls from the smoky, cynical world of noir while throwing in retro-futuristic sci-fi energy. It’s a combination that doesn’t show up often in animation, and I’m loving the visual style.

“There’s a big chunk of people who don’t watch animation,” he continued. “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.”

Ray Gun isn’t just trying to tell a cool detective story, it’s pushing what animated storytelling can look like and who it’s for.

Johansson seems just as fired up about the project, saying: “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.”

The visuals lean into a stylized, almost pulp-inspired aesthetic that feels both vintage and futuristic at the same time. It’s slick, fun, and full of personality.

Ray Gun is a sci-fi, hard-boiled animated detective story, directed by Brad Bird, and featuring Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits. I can’t wait to watch this when it hits Netflix later this year.