Brad Bird’s New Animated Detective Epic ‘Ray Gunn’ Coming to Netflix After London Film Festival

Netflix has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to Brad Bird’s animated feature "Ray Gunn" starting Dec. 18, 2026, following a premiere at the London Film Festival before arriving on the platform, according to reports.

This retro-futuristic detective epic combines science fiction and noir elements, Bird’s first feature since "Incredibles 2" in 2018 and his first foray into an original animated project for a streaming platform. Reports indicate it will be the third feature film to emerge from Netflix’s in-house animation efforts, part of a broader push by the streamer to build out original animated fare beyond licensed and acquired titles.

The voice cast includes Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits, according to reports. Plot details remain sparse; the retro-futuristic detective premise and title suggest a genre mashup in the vein of Bird’s earlier work, which includes "The Iron Giant," "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille," though no synopsis has been made public.

Throughout his career, Bird has moved between Pixar projects and independent animated productions, and "Ray Gunn" marks his highest-profile project since leaving Pixar’s in-house slate. A London Film Festival premiere would put the film in front of critics and festival audiences months before its December streaming release, typical for awards-season positioning. No runtime has been confirmed. Netflix has not released a trailer or additional cast details beyond the three leads named so far.

Press Release Netflix Media