Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn Trailer Teases a Retro-Futuristic Noir Mystery
Brad Bird, the director behind acclaimed animated films including The Iron Giant (1999), The Incredibles (2004), and Ratatouille (2007), is returning with a new animated feature. Ray Gunn, which is slated for release on Netflix in December, is described as a neo-noir science-fiction mystery.
Netflix’s official trailer is packed with retro-futuristic imagery, including flying cars, jetpacks, laser guns, aliens, and a sultry femme fatale. The combination of hard-boiled detective fiction, comedy, and high-energy science-fiction action makes Ray Gunn one of the more intriguing upcoming animated films for fans of Brad Bird’s work.
Brad Bird’s Long-Developing Sci-Fi Detective Story
Bird has been considering ideas for Ray Gunn while working on other film projects over the past 30 years. The screenplay was co-written by Matthew Robbins, who also co-wrote the 1987 film *batteries not included with Bird. Bird said the screenplay had been “kept in a filing cabinet at Warner Bros.”
The film’s inspiration came from the opening of the B-52’s song Planet Claire. Bird initially thought the track was a Henry Mancini cover of the Peter Gunn television theme.
A Futuristic Film Noir With Comedy and Action
A longtime fan of film noir and hard-boiled detectives, Bird developed the idea of a futuristic detective named Ray Gunn. The title also evokes the classic ray gun, one of science fiction’s most recognizable weapons.
“It’s a film noir, a hard-boiled detective story, but with a lot more comedy and action than your average film noir,” Bird said.
Ray Gunn is scheduled to arrive on Netflix in December.
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Source: arstechnica.com