Scarlett Johansson is stepping into a futuristic detective story with Ray Gunn, Brad Bird’s animated feature selected for the 2026 BFI London Film Festival. The film brings together Johansson, Sam Rockwell and Tom Waits in a setting that blends classic private-eye atmosphere with a world far removed from ordinary noir.
A detective story in an alternate 1939
The BFI describes the story as taking place in an alternate 1939, inside Metropia, a huge futuristic city where aliens are the dominant species. Down-at-heel private investigator Ray Gunn is looking into a murder, but the mystery is designed to be only one layer of a much larger world. The contrast between a period detective setup and speculative science-fiction gives the project a distinctive visual and narrative frame.
Johansson voices a character alongside Rockwell and Waits. Their names bring different screen personas to an animated ensemble, while Bird’s track record includes films such as The Iron Giant and The Incredibles. The festival listing presents the feature as a 119-minute US production and credits Netflix as its partner.
Why the festival screening matters
A festival audience gets an early chance to see how the film balances old-school detective conventions with futuristic production design. BFI’s programme notes call attention to the script, design and voice cast, positioning Ray Gunn as a major animated title in this year’s selection. The London screenings were scheduled for October 10 and 17.
For Johansson, the project adds another voice role to a career that has moved between live-action drama, comedy and animation. The best question going into the screening is how the film uses the detective’s point of view: whether Metropia feels like a strange backdrop, or like a city whose rules actively shape the case.
With its unusual setting and high-profile cast, Ray Gunn arrives at the festival with a clear identity. Its mix of mystery, science fiction and animation gives viewers a reason to look beyond familiar genre labels and see how Bird’s alternate Los Angeles-inspired world works on screen.
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