Brad Bird’s First Animated Movie in 8 Years Finally Reveals Its Star-Studded Cast

Brad Bird has sent a giant robot to Earth and taught it about having a soul, put a superhero family through a midlife crisis, and made a rat one of cinema’s most convincing chefs. Now he is heading somewhere entirely new: a sprawling city built around what people in 1939 thought the future might look like. Somewhere in its streets, a private detective has an alien problem and a murder to solve.

That detective is Raymond Gunn, voiced by Sam Rockwell, and his case also involves a multimedia star named Venus Nova, voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Bird has been working on Ray Gunn for years, and audiences can finally get a better sense of what he has in store.

Netflix has finally given fans of Bird's work a feast of announcements today with the release of the first trailer and poster for Ray Gunn. The streamer also confirmed 12 additional cast members, as well as the theatrical release ahead of its streaming debut. The movie opens in select theaters on December 4, including a limited 70mm engagement, before being available on Netflix to stream on December 18. Joining Rockwell and Johansson are Tom Waits, 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. You can check out the official poster for Ray Gunn and watch the stunning new trailer below.

What Is Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’ About?

Ray Gunn takes place in Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future imagined from the perspective of 1939. Rockwell’s private eye is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and Johansson’s Venus Nova, though Netflix has yet to explain how those three elements connect. The premise gives Bird a detective story to play with and a version of the future shaped by the past, which is a fascinating combination before anyone even starts asking about the aliens.

Bird wrote the movie’s story and co-wrote its screenplay with Matthew Robbins. Michael Giacchino, who previously scored The Incredibles and Ratatouille, is composing the music, while Kimbra wrote and produced original songs. Skydance Animation is producing the movie, with Bird also serving as a producer alongside John Lasseter, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison, and Dana Goldberg. This is Bird’s first animated feature as a director since 2018’s Incredibles 2, making Ray Gunn a particularly long-awaited return for fans of The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and the Incredibles movies.

Ray Gunn opens in select theaters on December 4 and arrives on Netflix on December 18.