Whenever brad bird releases a new movie, we realize. After making films like The Iron Giant, Ratatouilleand the incredibles, He deserves at least that. But when that new movie is an idea Bird has been thinking about for decades, in a private detective in a futuristic landscape with an alien companion, we don’t realize it. We are full of emotion.
That the movie is called Ray Gunnand after years of stops, starts, and delays, it’s finally arriving from Netflix on December 18. Bird spoke about the film at a Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con, with the highlight being a screening of the film’s first seven minutes. And even in those first seven minutes, you get the feeling that this is something different and unique.
The footage shows Ray (Sam Rockwell) and his alien companion Eye-ra (Tom Waits) breaking into a building to obtain some secret documents. Eye-ra is a one-eyed green alien with spider legs, so in this world, of course, he fits in perfectly. Posing as a janitor, he breaks through security with his supply car and takes a super elevator up almost 800 floors. The sensation is like one of those carnival attractions where the centrifugal force hits you to the wall.
As he leaves, he opens his cart to reveal Ray, who was trapped inside. They walk into an office, look around, and notice that the desk in the center of the room has a secret latch. Working together, they open it and reveal a folder of files. This is what they are looking for. Eye-ra uses her eye as a camera and takes pictures of the documents when they notice two creatures in jet packs flying towards them. They hide in the closet while two other aliens burst into the room from outside.
These two realize that someone has beaten them to get the documents and they start snooping around with their weapons. At that moment, someone is at the door and they also hide. There are now four people hiding in this room when Vanzine enters, a burly alien who looks a bit like Oogie Boogie in a dress. He realizes he has been robbed and threatens to start shooting unless someone reveals themselves. Which he does, shooting at a curtain and hitting one of the jet pack guys.
An action scene ensues, and in the scrum, the closet Ray and Eye-ra were hiding in breaks. Vanzine grabs Ray, who he knows, and they point guns at each other. They have a fun conversation about the fact that she has a new dress that hides several more arms and that she doesn’t believe Ray will shoot her. He, however, believes she will shoot him, so he shoots her in the arm. The fight continues with all of Vanzine’s arms revealed until Ray uses a high-powered air conditioner to put Vanzine’s head in a block of ice.
She is defeated. But when she leaves, she realizes that she can’t breathe. He doesn’t want to kill her, so he hits her on the head several times to break the ice before escaping.
This is basically the beginning of the movie. We don’t know who the documents are for or how they relate to anything. But what you do get is a sense of tone. Although the film has some wild creatures, it is much more like a traditional detective film. It’s methodical. It’s smart. It’s shameless. You get the feeling that this is not a children’s movie at all. It’s a Brad Bird movie.
We will have more about Ray Gunn in the coming months. Stay tuned to io9 for more information on San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
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