Scarlett Johansson‘s new science fiction film, which is 30 years in the making, has added A Minecraft Movie star to its cast. The film is Brad Bird’s long-gestating animated passion project, Ray Gunn.
As Esquire revealed, Matt Berry will be voicing the villain in Ray Gunn, which is set to have its world premiere in October at the BFI London Film Festival. Berry plays the role of an alien mob boss, called Francis “Slugsy” Xavier, and will serve as the film’s chief antagonist.
Ray Gunn expands its sci-fi world with a growing cast and new details
Ray Gunn follows the titular detective, who is described as a private eye in a world inhabited by aliens and humans alike.
As reported by Esquire, the film’s thirty-year development came with one caveat: the world that Bird imagined to be futuristic has steadily inched closer to reality. While aliens might still be out of the picture, AI plays a big role in the story that the director had written.
Johansson serves as the role of the female lead of the film, Venus Nova. Nova is a pop star who finds herself caught up in a dangerous scandal that can cost her her life.
Apart from Matt Berry and Scarlett Johansson, the movie also stars Sam Rockwell in the lead role, along with Tom Waits, Patton Oswalt, and even Bird himself. Additional cast members, whose roles remain under wraps, include Kathryn Hunter, John Ratzenberger, and Jamie Costa.
The film is rated PG, and some of the material that Brad Bird has included may not be the kind of things parents want in an animated film. Bird clarified that he did not make the film with kids in mind, despite it being animated.
He said, “Too much animation thinks exclusively about kids to the point where [filmmakers] would not see the movie that they’re making for someone else. That, to me, seems incredibly patronizing. You better be in the audience that you’re making it for, or everything you do will be insincere.”
The film is scheduled to begin streaming on Netflix on December 18, 2026.
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