Sam Rockwell as a hard-boiled detective, Scarlett Johansson as a pop star in trouble, and now a booming-voiced mob boss straight out of a 1940s crime flick — Ray Gunn just got a whole lot more interesting. Netflix and director Brad Bird have dropped new stills and cast reveals for the animated noir, three decades in the making.
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What’s New: Matt Berry and Brad Bird Join the Cast
What We Do in the Shadows star Matt Berry is voicing Francis “Slugsy” Xavier, a hulking, spongelike mob boss modeled on classic noir heavies like Sydney Greenstreet. His theatrical, booming delivery makes him a natural fit for an over-the-top 1940s-style animated gangster.
In a fun twist, director Brad Bird is stepping into the recording booth himself — voicing “Gunsol and Musker,” a pair of squat, squirmy alien henchmen who do Slugsy’s dirty work. Bird is no stranger to voice acting; he’s also the voice of Edna Mode in The Incredibles.
Matt Berry: Full Voice Cast So Far
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Sam Rockwell | Raymond “Ray” Gunn, private eye |
| Scarlett Johansson | Venus Nova, pop star in scandal |
| Matt Berry | Francis “Slugsy” Xavier, mob boss |
| Tom Waits | Eyera, Ray’s alien sidekick |
| Patton Oswalt | A hologram |
| Brad Bird | Gunsol and Musker, Slugsy’s henchmen |
| Kathryn Hunter | Undisclosed role |
| John Ratzenberger | Undisclosed role |
| Jamie Costa | Undisclosed role |
| “Buck” | A weapons dealer |
The 30-Year Journey to the Screen
Brad Bird has wanted to make this film since the 1990s, but major studios reportedly passed because of its adult-leaning tone. Bird has said he never understood the resistance, calling the concept “good popcorn stuff.” Despite the dark themes of scandal, betrayal, and murder, the film has landed a PG rating — a point that was reportedly debated internally, with Bird pushing for PG-13 while Netflix wanted it accessible to Kids profiles.
Interestingly, the story leans into “all-consuming AI surveillance,” a concept Bird developed decades ago that feels unexpectedly timely today.
Setting: Welcome to Metropia
The new stills show off Ray’s retro-futuristic world of Metropia — his cluttered detective office, a meeting with a slick music executive, and an action shot of Ray and Eyera speeding through the city on a hover-bike. The visuals lean heavily into classic film-noir lighting and shadows, wrapped in a candy-colored sci-fi aesthetic.
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Release Date
Ray Gunn is set to premiere on Netflix this December 2026, marking the culmination of Brad Bird’s decades-long passion project.
FAQs
Q1. Who plays the villain in Ray Gunn?
Matt Berry voices Francis “Slugsy” Xavier, the film’s lead mob-boss villain.
Q2. When does Ray Gunn release on Netflix?
The animated noir is scheduled to launch on Netflix in December 2026.
