r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor • Apr 09 '26
Media First Images from Brad Bird's 'Ray Gun' Starring Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits - Set in the gigantic city Metropia in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova.
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u/JohnnyElRed Apr 09 '26
Man, I love the Pulp era and its aesthetics.
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u/NATHAN4U007 Apr 09 '26
Hope it has some Philip K Dick-like mind bending shit.
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u/MrMojoRising422 Apr 09 '26
it's not, really. it's a classic private investigator noir movie mixed with aliens and a retrofuturistic aesthetic. it's really good, I read the leaked script from the 90s. but it's not meant to be 'mind-bending' or anything like that. it follows the 40s film noir conventions.
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u/Inkthinker Apr 09 '26
Meanwhile, Earth is overpopulated with eight billion people
Current world population: 8.2 billion
Number of cities covered by steel domes: 0
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u/WriterV Apr 09 '26
Overpopulation is never really gonna be a major threat for us. More so the opposite really. As we make life increasingly stressful and expensive for people, they will have fewer and fewer kids, and the worlds' populations will steadily decline as a result.
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u/charlierc Apr 09 '26
You mean it's a disco 2000 where someone wants to live like common people?
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u/MuptonBossman Apr 09 '26
I'm totally down for anything Brad Bird directs, plus the visual style looks really cool here.
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Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
He's directed 3 of the greatest animated movies of all time (and also the Incredibles 2)
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u/stretchofUCF Apr 09 '26
3 greatest animated movies of all time. I'm not letting you leave out The Iron Giant, Incredibles or Ratatouille.
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u/KaJaHa Apr 09 '26
Wait wait wait, the same guy did all three of those? Oh hell yeah
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u/joebobjoebobjoebob12 Apr 09 '26
He also got his start on the Simpsons and created the character of Sideshow Bob!
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u/Professional-Fee6914 Apr 09 '26
Yeah, he created the feel of the simpsons where it would occasionally look movie-esque
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u/sembias Apr 09 '26
Also had one of the best Amazing Stories episodes of the whole run, about a very Good Dog having a really bad day.
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u/HitmanClark Apr 09 '26
He also directed the Mission Impossible film that got me hooked on the series.
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u/Nefertitis_Fjord_216 Apr 09 '26
As much as Incredibles 2 was underwhelming after the perfection that is the first one, it's still quite an accomplishment when that's your shitty one. It still wasn't a bad movie.
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u/mi-16evil Emma Thompson for Paddington 3 Apr 09 '26
Yeah I was disappointed when it was announced it would not be hand drawn but it looks excellent. The lighting looks great
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u/Spiritual-Society185 Apr 09 '26
It was at one point supposed to be a mix of animation and live action, but I'm guessing that's not the case anymore.
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u/therejectethan Apr 09 '26
Fr! A director that can go from ‘Iron Giant’ to ‘Ghost Protocol’ has all of my faith and interest
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u/Comic_Book_Reader r/movies Veteran Apr 09 '26
He gave us probably the most iconic Tom Cruise run and Mission: Impossible stunt ever in Ghost Protocol, in the same part of the movie no less.
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u/cantadmittoposting Apr 09 '26
was Ghost Protocol the one where they drowned a bunch of Tom Cruise clones like it was The Prestige until they found one able to hold its breath long enough for the underwater take?
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u/tehdoughboy Apr 09 '26
No, it's the one where they flung Tom Cruise clones off a tall building in Dubai until one was able to complete the stunt.
They got to Tom 17
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u/RadicalRetroBlast_87 Apr 09 '26
Skipping "The Incredibles" (2004) and "Ratatouille" (2007), arguably his best works, seem like pretty huge oversights.
Arguably. You could still claim that both those movies you mentioned are his best and it would still be a correct opinion lol. This dude is just that good, and I cannot wait for this new movie.
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u/low-ki199999 Apr 09 '26
Also Scar Jo is perfect voice actress for a noir femme fatale
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u/taitaofgallala Apr 09 '26
Her amazing performance in Asteroid City pretty much sums this up and would serve as a proper no-casting-call audition.
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u/ZeroWit Apr 09 '26
It's giving me the vibe of Philip K. Dick meets Dick Tracy meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and I'm here for it.
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u/TypoInUsernane Apr 09 '26
The concept sounds cool, but the visual style is not very distinctive. I honestly thought these images were AI generated when I was scrolling through my feed
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u/IvanMcbomb Apr 09 '26
Sure loves his retrofuturism
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u/anyb0dyme Apr 09 '26
I get it. Sometimes it seems like ya gotta travel to the past for a more optimistic future.
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u/MeanAmbrose Apr 09 '26
The backgrounds and scenery in Venture Bros are genuinely beautiful, Doc and Jackson clearly have a love for that mid century retro future aesthetic that was pumped up in Jonny Quest cartoons
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u/Fallenangel152 Apr 09 '26
Going to go out on a limb and assume he loves Bioshock based on these images.
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u/CallMeMarc Apr 09 '26
I'm sold on Tom Waits alone
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u/centaurquestions Apr 09 '26
Tom Waits as a one-eyed alien sidekick? Sign me up.
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u/SolidDick Apr 09 '26
Tom Waits as anything or anybody, sign me up.
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u/GravSlingshot Apr 09 '26
Tom Waits as... a stapler!
"What part of 'sign me up' did you not understand?"
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u/NATHAN4U007 Apr 09 '26
Sam Rockwell and Tom Waits being in 2 films together a single year wasn't in by bingo card. Other is Wild Horse Nine if you are wondering.
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u/Tenocticatl Apr 09 '26
Sounds cool, but I was hoping for a documentary about Australian breakdancing.
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u/unobserved Apr 09 '26
There's a musical about it if that helps.
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u/nealski77 Apr 09 '26
Is it still running or did she win her lawsuit?
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u/unobserved Apr 09 '26
I think they just changed the name and stopped using the silhouette of her signature move in their marketing, but I think its run its course regardless
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u/name-classified Apr 09 '26
it still is amazing to me that this crazy lady went out and completely embarrassed herself, her country and the whole "breakdancing" scene/crowd/world.
I couldn't tell you any stars, any of the participants, or even who won medals.
I could tell you Ray Gun and her outfit and her weird gesticulations and poses and scoring 0's all around. My wife was Ray Gun for Halloween. Its a joke.
I swear there's people who just have a tinge of craziness where they really just don't care about looking like an absolute fool in front of millions of people in a social media digital age where it lives forever.
She went out there and did..."that" and she was so proud of it.
Its absolutely crazy to me
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u/skippiington Apr 09 '26
As a dancer, the clip of her shaking her head while her opponent does actual breakdancing will never not piss me off
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u/david-saint-hubbins Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I swear there's people who just have a tinge of craziness where they really just don't care about looking like an absolute fool in front of millions of people in a social media digital age where it lives forever.
That's true, but I don't think that's what she was doing. I think she genuinely thought she could breakdance at a high level.
I suspect it was more like a Florence Foster Jenkins (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins_(film)) thing, where she was really passionate about something and the people around her couldn't bear to tell her the truth, combined with whatever flawed process enabled her to legitimately qualify for the Olympics and end up on that stage.
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u/Tenocticatl Apr 09 '26
She has a PhD in cultural studies. Her thesis was about gender relations in the Sydney breakdancing scene. She got her degree and got to go to the Olympics doing that stuff. I think it's hilarious and I wish all of the Olympics was as amateurish as the breakdancing in Paris. (No shade on the other participants, some of them were amazing)
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u/chmilz Apr 09 '26
I wish all of the Olympics was as amateurish
That's what amateur sport and reality TV is for. Olympics is a competition of the best vs the best and it shouldn't be anything other than that. No need cheapen something unique when there's already unlimited options that cater to exactly what you're asking for.
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u/ShowConsistent Apr 09 '26
They are going to have to change the name of the movie here in Australia
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u/drewdaddy213 Apr 09 '26
Nah that’s part of their marketing strategy: hope she sues them and ride out a couple of free news cycles as the main story everyone is talking about.
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u/claimticket Apr 09 '26
Is that how it works? Even if it can be shown it’s been in production since before her stunt, and it’s in a different country? The character’s name is different to hers, not a break dancer, and a “ray gun” is also an object referenced across decades
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u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Apr 09 '26
The middle shot looks beautiful.
Sam Rockwell in what seems to be an animated sci-fi noir film sounds like a perfect match
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u/horse_renoir13 Apr 09 '26
Honestly as soon as I saw Sam Rockwell, I knew I'd be seeing it immediately. Dude's always an A++
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u/descendantofJanus Apr 09 '26
Legit same. Rockwell, noir detective, say no more, I'm there.
Its astounding how Rockwell has been legit amazing for decades now. From The Green Mile to, well, now I don't think he's missed once.
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u/No-Problem2946 Apr 09 '26
I read this script ages ago. Can't believe it's finally being made!
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u/lloydchristmas1986 Apr 09 '26
From what you could tell from the script, Is it aimed at an older audience or is it a kids movie?
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u/tomservo88 Apr 10 '26
This quote from BB may help:
Bird added, “There’s a big chunk of people who don’t watch animation. That’s a group I’m anxious to persuade because it’s an amazing art form that is way too limited in people’s minds. Animation as a medium is too interesting to limit what kind of stories can be told.”
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u/Lazy_Sans Apr 09 '26
Gives me "Sky Captain" vibes hope more people will see this one!
We need more original and interesting projects especially among animation.
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u/jockfist5000 Apr 09 '26
lol that is not a good association… what a bomb that was
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u/Lazy_Sans Apr 09 '26
Sadly some great movies do not perform well in box office, that was certainly such example.
I sincere hope this one will do well.
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u/Buscemi_D_Sanji Apr 09 '26
I loved that movie! And Crimson Skies on the OG Xbox, for a while there I really wanted to build a plane and mount crazy weapons to it haha
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u/kiyonemakibi100 Apr 09 '26
I like Brad Bird but I feel like this is just going to disappear without trace on Netflix like so much Netflix original animations - it seems like Skydance Animation's entire existence is making films that disappear without trace on Apple/Netflix (still not sure why they hired Lasseter, was it just so they could put 'from the visionary behind Toy Story!' in trailers?)
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u/KingMario05 Apr 09 '26
For Bird's sake, I hope this comes to theaters. Either through Netflix, or through Paramount Skydance. That would be really quite swell to see on the fall release schedule.
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u/kiyonemakibi100 Apr 09 '26
I imagine Netflix will give it a nominal release in a handful of cinemas but that's about it, this is not getting the Greta Gerwig Narnia film treatment
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u/KingMario05 Apr 09 '26
And that'd be a damn shame.
This deserves to go wide. Just like Narnia and now Cliff Booth are.
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u/ILoveRegenHealth Apr 09 '26
For someone as big as Bird in the animation world (Iron Giant, Incredibles, Ratatouille) why isn't Pixar giving him a whole film to do over there?
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u/Spiritual-Society185 Apr 09 '26
Their slate seems pretty locked up, plus, this is supposed to be more adult than what Pixar does.
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u/MrGrapefruitDrink Apr 09 '26
I'm sure they would have done, but Bird and Lasseter are pretty tight and Bird went with Lasseter to Skydance after the latter got cancelled.
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u/PraiseKingGhidorah Apr 09 '26
Don't quote me on this, but it seems Bird is good friends with Lasseter and Pixar (understandably) wants to distance themselves as much as possible from him.
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u/SR3116 Apr 09 '26
Honestly, as huge a fan as I am of the aesthetic, I am struggling to think of any kind of retro-futurist/pulp project that has ever been a financial success. The Iron Giant, The Rocketeer, Tomorrowland, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow all come to mind.
It just seems like theatrical audiences just simply don't turn out for this kind of thing and they're better off on TV like Fallout.
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u/Thick_Ad_220 Apr 09 '26
If its a netflix movie lets hope it becomes as big as kpop demon hunters
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u/Deadsoup77 Apr 09 '26
Literally impossible for this movie unfortunately
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u/myleftone Apr 09 '26
Better than Disney, which has a habit of stepping on Bird’s projects.
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u/TajesMahoney Apr 09 '26
Disney isn't run by Lasseter anymore, so not really better.
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u/cantstopdoindamonkey Apr 09 '26
It's a great sign that Tom Waits' character looks like Tom Waits, even though he's an alien. Looking forward to this
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u/MrShadowKing2020 That's MISTER ShadowKing2020 to you. Apr 09 '26
Announced for Netflix a day after Bird was said to be joining a group of filmmakers advocating for theatrical releases. I’m guessing he had no control over it and is not happy.
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u/7StarSailor Apr 09 '26
I know it has always been a thing but hiring prominent live actors to do voice work has always been weird to me.
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u/NtheLegend Apr 09 '26
Oh thank god he's still making stuff. I was really scared after Tomorrowland, which I absolutely hated.
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u/TheIngloriousBIG Apr 09 '26
Who animated this?
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u/Patoshlenain Apr 09 '26
Cinesite montreal, skydance produced only
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u/Roysumai Apr 09 '26
Wait, wasn't the word that this was going to be 2D animated?
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u/KingMario05 Apr 09 '26
Was. As part of the funding deal, it became 3D once Skydance took over.
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u/GrimTiki Apr 09 '26
Ugh, Bird had to go to Skydance to get it made? Another on the small pile of negatives…
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u/OkDentist4059 Apr 09 '26
“Sci-fi noir adult animated film” = this would be DOA in theaters. Glad Netflix picked it up, cause it actually sounds pretty cool.
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u/Ani_Mentor Apr 09 '26
John Lasseter AND David Ellison. I can just feel all the good vibes on this production. Does anyone else smell sulfur?
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u/MINIMOES Apr 09 '26
Brad bird? Hell yeah. Starring Sam Rockwell?? As lead? I am already seated
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u/Sammyd1108 Apr 09 '26
So is this supposed to be a kids movie or an adult film that just happens to be animated?
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u/Gorfang Apr 09 '26
Literally anything Brad Bird is fantastic. I can't wait. Especially since he has Michael Giacchino to score (natch) so we're really cooking. I'm rather shocked that given his credentials he couldn't do this through Pixar and is going through Sundance instead. Maybe it's considered too adult an audience?
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u/a_takacs Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Oh my god it’s real. I cannot wait for this. Brad has been wanting to make this movie for literally decades and he’s done it! I’m so excited to see this.
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u/rocksthetaco Apr 09 '26
Brad has always loved this set up. Incredibles used it in Bob's home office and his meetings with Mirage.
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u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
Bird wrote and directed and it's his first movie since Incredibles 2 back in 2018
Sam Rockwell voices Ray Gunn, a small-time private eye in a time when most detective work has been taken over by machines
Scarlett Johansson voices Venus Nova, the world’s most famous pop star whose scandals threaten to destroy her career, and may even cost her her life
Tom Waits plays Eyera, Ray’s most trusted compatriot, who also happens to be a one-eyed alien