Incredibles 2 Director & Scarlett Johansson’s New Movie Gets Noir Concept

Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird’s long-gestating passion project, Ray Gunn, has released new concept art. It teases a moody blend of sci-fi and hardboiled detective fiction. Scarlett Johansson leads the voice cast alongside Sam Rockwell.

Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn movie gets new concept art

Netflix revealed the new concept art as part of its announcement that Ray Gunn will feature at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026. It transports viewers into Bird’s vision, featuring private detective Raymond Gunn standing in a dramatic low-angle shot within a towering futuristic alley.

Deep blues and blacks dominate the frame, while bright orange and yellow highlights carve out bold geometric shapes. The protagonist’s oversized trench coat and tinted glasses are classic noir. All in all, reinforcing a world where the optimism of pre-World War II sci-fi collides with pulp detective shadow.

Moreover, the typography alone reinforces this marriage of eras, spelling out “Ray Gunn” in elongated Art Deco-inspired lettering. It’s likely a visual tease that Bird is chasing something different, a film that seems inspired by mid-century sci-fi posters and the angular, clean animation style the director has championed since The Iron Giant.

For Bird, that crossover has always been the core. “It was always meant to be a blend of sci-fi and classic detective movies from the ’40s,” Bird explained to Netflix. “The elevator pitch I came up with is The Maltese Falcon meets Buck Rogers.”

The movie’s description as per Netflix reads, “In Metropia, a gigantic city in an alternate future as seen from 1939, private eye Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) is drawn into a case involving aliens, murder, and a multimedia star named Venus Nova (Scarlett Johansson).” Rounding out the announced cast is Grammy winner Tom Waits, who plays Eyera, Gunn’s most trusted alien compatriot.

Ray Gunn will be streaming on Netflix later this year.