Netflix drops first Ray Gunn trailer as Brad Bird’s alien noir heads to London
Netflix released the first trailer for Ray Gunn on 23 September, previewing director Brad Bird‘s animated sci-fi noir ahead of its London Film Festival premiere next month and its Netflix debut on 18 December.
TL;DR
- Netflix released the first Ray Gunn trailer on 23 September 2026.
- A limited cinema run, including 70mm screens, starts on 4 December. Streaming follows on Netflix on 18 December.
- The film world premieres at the BFI London Film Festival in October, with London tickets from £10.
- Netflix added 12 voice actors, including British stars Matt Berry and Kathryn Hunter.
What the first Ray Gunn trailer shows
According to Netflix Tudum, the footage introduces Metropia, a retro-futuristic city shared by humans and aliens. Flying cars fill the skies, and the skyscrapers reach a mile high.
Beneath the polished skyline, the story turns rougher, with murder and corruption on the streets. Private eye Raymond Gunn, voiced by actor Sam Rockwell, is pulled into a case involving aliens and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
Venus is voiced by actor Scarlett Johansson. Musician Tom Waits voices Eye-Ra, Gunn’s one-eyed alien partner.
Of course, every hard-boiled detective needs a one-eyed alien partner. Tiny pry bots now handle most of the legwork in Metropia, which leaves Gunn and Eye-Ra as a rare analogue duo.
Brad Bird’s noir pitch and first animated film since 2018
Bird said the elevator pitch was “The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers.” According to Tudum, the film draws on the detective movies Bird grew up loving, including Bogart pictures and the noir Out of the Past.
It is Bird’s first animated feature since Incredibles 2 in 2018. He said animation is too interesting a medium to limit the kinds of stories it can tell.
Ray Gunn voice cast and crew
Netflix also added 12 names to the voice cast. They are Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Bobby Cannavale, Michael Chernus, Kether Donohue, Michelle Rodriguez, Aasif Mandvi, Matt Jones, Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger (The Incredibles), Justin Peck and Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille).
Berry and Hunter are British actors, so the London premiere has a home-grown angle. Michael Giacchino, who scored The Incredibles, composes the music. Skydance Animation produces the film for Netflix.
Ray Gunn UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival
London hosts the world premiere. The BFI London Film Festival listing shows audio-described screenings on Saturday 10 October and Saturday 17 October, with London tickets from £10.
The festival runs 7 to 18 October. Bird also appears for a Screen Talk about his career, according to the BFI.
The BFI lists the runtime as 119 minutes and credits Bird and Matthew Robbins as screenwriters. It pitches the film as filmmaking for all ages, though its content advice flags scenes of graphic violence or injury.
When Ray Gunn reaches cinemas and Netflix
The film opens in select theatres, including limited 70mm screens, on 4 December. The announcement does not name UK cinemas for that run. It streams on Netflix from 18 December.
Sci-fi fans also have the final Disclosure Day trailer to pick over. More film news sits in our movies coverage.
We’ll keep you posted on updates about Ray Gunn as the project develops.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed 24 September 2026.
Elena Vane is an award-winning comics historian and pop culture journalist. Specializing in the DC/Marvel universes and independent graphic novels, Elena has been documenting the rise of cosplay culture for over a decade . She is a frequent panelist at New York Comic Con and provides in-depth biographies of industry pioneers. Elena’s expertise ensures that every comic-related update is factually grounded and community-focused .
