‘Ray Gunn’: Netflix Announces December Release Date for Brad Bird’s Retro-Futuristic Animated Movie!!

Netflix has had a big year in 2026, both with live-action and animated movies. The biggest release so far in the live-action category is War Machine, starring Reacher veteran Alan Ritchson. The movie performed well enough to crack the all-time Netflix top 10, and the streamer has officially announced that a sequel to the film is in the works. As for animated features, Netflix found success with the release of Swapped, starring recent Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan opposite tenured Ted Lasso star, Juno Temple. Netflix also found success with the long-awaited second season of One Piece, the live-action adaptation inspired by the popular anime that’s been on the air for years. As busy as the year has been for Netflix so far, things are only going to get even more wild as the months go by, and one of the streamer’s most anticipated projects of 2026 just took a massive step forward.

Hailing from director Brad Bird, Netflix announced a release date for Ray Gunn at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival — the sci-fi detective thriller that’s been in the works for 30 years now. Bird has confirmed that the project has been in various stages of development since the 1990s, and after countless ups and downs, the long-gestating animated feature is finally coming to Netflix on December 18. This is the same day as both Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three — as if fans thought that one of the biggest single days in movie history couldn’t get more exciting, one of the most anticipated streaming releases in history will now come out on the same day as two of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Netflix has also released a pair of new images from Ray Gunn, which can be found below.

What Else Do We Know About ‘Ray Gunn’?

Sam Rockwell is private investigator Raymond Gunn.
Scarlett Johansson is multimedia star Venus Nova.

Ray Gunn, a new retrofuturist animated adventure from writer-director Brad Bird, premieres December 18. pic.twitter.com/74CPDk9D8h

— Netflix (@netflix) June 24, 2026

The first image from Ray Gunn was released a few weeks ago, which led most fans to think that marketing for the film was going to begin this summer. Netflix also released the first plot details for Ray Gunn, which read as follows: “In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, a private eye named Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.” Sam Rockwell has been cast as the titular character in the animated feature, with Scarlett Johansson playing Venus Nova. Tom Waits will also star in Ray Gunn in an undisclosed role.