Brad Bird brings 35-year passion project Ray Gunn to London
After 35 years, Brad Bird's animated passion project Ray Gunn has finally made it to the screen.
The director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille discussed the film at Deadline's Contenders London in October 2026, where he appeared with composer Michael Giacchino to open the day's programme Deadline. The wait is over. Bird is credited as writer, director and producer on the production from Netflix and Skydance Animation Deadline.
Ray Gunn is described as a neo-noir science fiction mystery. In plain terms, that means a detective story with dark edges set in a futuristic world. The panel was moderated by Deadline's Zac Ntim and launched the London awards-season showcase.
The story takes place in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future where humans and aliens live side by side, as seen from a 1939 perspective Deadline. Sam Rockwell voices private eye Raymond Gunn. He is drawn into a case involving murder and Venus Nova, a multimedia star voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Tom Waits completes the central voice cast.
Bird said the contrast was the attraction. He wanted to depict a shining, idealised utopia populated by desperate characters who lie and are murdered. Setting that kind of crime story in a perfect-looking place, he told the audience, made it more interesting.
Music drives much of that setting. Giacchino recorded the score at Abbey Road with an 80-piece orchestra, using microphones from the 1920s and 1930s alongside vintage synthesisers. Singer-songwriter Kimbra wrote and produced all of the original songs performed by Johansson's Venus Nova in the film.
For animation watchers, the timing matters because of the gap. Ray Gunn is Bird's first animated feature since 2018's Incredibles 2, and he has talked about developing the idea for 35 years. Bird is an Oscar and BAFTA winner, and the London festival notes list those honours in its guide to his career BFI.
The film has already played for a festival crowd. Ray Gunn screened at the BFI London Film Festival 2026, which also hosted a Screen Talk with Bird about his work. Contenders London then brought Bird and Giacchino together to walk through how the colourful future city, the murder case and the songs fit together.
