Great things happen when Brad Bird goes animated. This is the filmmaker who cut his teeth on The Simpsons in its prime, and went on to helm The Iron
Great things happen when Brad Bird goes animated. This is the filmmaker who cut his teeth on The Simpsons in its prime, and went on to helm The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and its sequel, and Ratatouille. And running through the background of it all, he’s always wanted to make Ray Gunn – a retro-sci-fi noir which he’s been stewing on since the 1990s. Now, it’s finally real, arriving as an animated feature on Netflix later this year, with some stellar voice talent to boot.
In the role of the brilliantly-named Ray Gunn himself is Sam Rockwell. “He’s pretty much your Main Street private detective,” Bird tells Empire of his hero. “A hard-bitten character, but not without a sense of humour.” And getting someone as expressive as Rockwell in the booth only adds to the personality of your hero. “Sam is just an amazing actor, and he’s quirky and unpredictable,” says Bird. “He never phones it in. It inspires you to bring something to the table as an animator.”
As Gunn – the last human private detective in a world inhabited by all kinds of galactic beings – becomes embroiled in a twisty-turny mystery, Bird promises audiences are in for a ride. “It has no shortage of thoughts in it. But it’s primarily meant to be good with a box full of popcorn,” he explains. “It’s meant to be a really good time.” Plus, in true Brad Bird style, it’s a real genre blend. “There’s a lot more action in this movie than a normal noir, and there’s more comedy,” he says. “It’s a blend of things going on at once.” Sounds like it’ll be worth the seriously long wait.
Read Empire’s full Ray Gunn story in the Spider-Man: Brand New Day issue, on sale Thursday 4 June. Order a copy online here. Ray Gunn comes to Netflix later in 2026.
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