Quick summary
- Netflix released a new trailer for Ray Gunn on Thursday 12 November 2026, according to UPI.
- Scarlett Johansson voices pop star Venus Nova opposite Sam Rockwell as the title detective.
- The animated noir opens in select cinemas on 4 December, then reaches Netflix on 18 December.
- It is Brad Bird’s first film since Incredibles 2 in 2018, per Punch Drunk Critics.
Netflix has released a second trailer for Ray Gunn, the animated sci-fi noir that casts Scarlett Johansson as a pop star at the centre of a murder case. The clip arrived on Thursday, according to UPI via Yahoo News Canada, about three weeks before the film reaches cinemas.
What the new trailer shows
Sam Rockwell voices the title character, the last human private detective in a city shared with aliens. ScreenRant describes the footage as follows: Gunn buys a teleportation weapon, visits a client and finds that person murdered. He is then hired to protect Venus Nova, voiced by Johansson, whose public popularity clashes with what the people around her say in private.
ScreenRant reports that Venus appears tied to the wider case Gunn is working, which sets him against some of the city’s most corrupt figures. The outlet says the trailer holds back the biggest reveals while still packing in action.
The world of Metropia
The story takes place in Metropia, a retro-futuristic city where humans and aliens live side by side, per Punch Drunk Critics. UPI says the film is set in an alternate 1939 and that Gunn works with his alien partner Eye-Ra, voiced by Tom Waits. Johansson’s character is described by UPI as an “icy blonde femme fatale”.
Director Brad Bird told Netflix’s Tudum that his elevator pitch was “The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers”, as quoted by UPI. The wider voice cast includes Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez, Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger and Patton Oswalt, according to Punch Drunk Critics.
A project nearly three decades in the making
Bird first conceived Ray Gunn in the 1990s as an animated project that was shelved by Turner Feature Animation, ScreenRant says. Over the years it shifted from hand-drawn animation to 3D computer animation. Punch Drunk Critics calls it a career-long obsession for the director, spanning nearly three decades.
The film is the fourth produced by Skydance Animation, after Luck, Spellbound and Swapped, per ScreenRant. Bird’s earlier credits include The Incredibles, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant.
Early reaction is positive. ScreenRant says reviews have been extremely favourable since the film’s October premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, with praise for its world, characters and story. Punch Drunk Critics’ reviewer saw it last month and called it one of the standout animated films of the year. These are individual critics’ opinions, and the film has not yet reached a wide audience.
Johansson on home life
Separately, Johansson was in the news on Wednesday for an interview with the Los Angeles Times. According to Page Six, she said she considers herself “the CEO of our household” and described herself as a hands-on parent. Page Six also reports she would like to return to Broadway but finds theatre hard to manage while raising young children.
For more on her recent comments about work, see our earlier pieces on her stance on bad studio offers and her remarks about The Batman Part II.
What happens next
Ray Gunn opens in select cinemas on 4 December 2026 and begins streaming on Netflix on 18 December, per ScreenRant and UPI. The sources do not give an Australian cinema schedule, so local viewers should expect to watch it on Netflix on the 18 December date unless a cinema release is announced. Browse more in our Movies section.
Frequently asked questions
When does Ray Gunn come out?
It opens in select cinemas on 4 December 2026 and arrives on Netflix on 18 December 2026.
Who voices Venus Nova in Ray Gunn?
Scarlett Johansson voices Venus Nova, a multimedia pop star who becomes central to the detective’s murder investigation.
Who is in the Ray Gunn voice cast?
Sam Rockwell plays Ray Gunn. Tom Waits, Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez and Patton Oswalt are among the other voices, according to Punch Drunk Critics.
Who directed Ray Gunn?
Brad Bird wrote and directed it. His earlier films include The Incredibles, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant.
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