Ray Gunn: A Private Eye Encounters Aliens, Murder, and a Pop Star

Ray Gunn is an animated sci-fi mystery from director Brad Bird, following private eye Raymond Gunn as he investigates a case involving aliens, murder, and pop star Venus Nova. It premieres globally on

The official trailer for Brad Bird’s animated film *Ray Gunn* opens with Raymond Gunn, a private detective in the megacity of Metropia, taking on a case connected to famous singer Venus Nova. The investigation expands into a mystery involving aliens and murder, while the trailer combines the tension of a detective story with science-fiction action, moving between flying cars, jetpacks, and ray weapons.

A Blend of 1940s Detective Fiction and a Future City

Metropia is an alternate future city imagined through the lens of 1939. The filmmakers used Art Deco and the pre–World War II vision of the future as their visual starting points. Towering buildings and streamlined transportation contrast with the shadows of classic noir, relocating the familiar form of a private detective solving a case within the unfamiliar rules of the city.

An Investigation Handled by Machines, and the Place of the Human Detective

Played by Sam Rockwell, Raymond Gunn is a small-time private detective in an era when most detective work has been handed over to machines. Scarlett Johansson plays Venus Nova, a global pop star whose career and life are both threatened by a scandal, while Tom Waits plays Iera, Ray’s one-eyed alien partner. The tension between automated investigation and individual intuition supports the film’s mystery.

Netflix Release Schedule

*Ray Gunn* will be released worldwide on Netflix on December 18, 2026. Its runtime is 119 minutes, and Skydance Animation handled production. The film is a project Brad Bird has envisioned for many years, with its key feature being the combination of classic detective-film conventions and the movement of feature animation.

Source: Netflix Tudum, Netflix Newsroom