Brad Bird unveiled the opening seven minutes of his forthcoming animated Netflix film, Ray Gunn, at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. He described the project as “Buck Rogers meets The Maltese Falcon”, combining retro science fiction with noir storytelling, and said its long development reflects his ambition to create a detailed, distinctive animated world.

The footage introduces Metropia, a futuristic but urban city with Art Deco architecture, flying cars and widespread jetpack use, alongside the sardonic hero Ray Gunn and his alien companion Eyera. Ray, voiced by Sam Rockwell, is shown searching for secret files before a confrontation with a multi-armed alien office owner, mixing shadowy noir imagery with slapstick humour. The film has taken around 30 years to reach production and is due to debut on Netflix in December, with a score by Michael Giacchino blending 1950s science fiction, 1930s–40s noir and jazz.