Ray Gunn Premieres at London Film Festival as Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell Sing to Michael Giacchino
Netflix's animated feature Ray Gunn held its world premiere at the London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, coinciding with composer Michael Giacchino's birthday. Director Brad Bird led the introduction, inviting voice stars Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell to sing Happy Birthday to Giacchino. Johansson stars as pop star Venus Nova alongside Rockwell's private detective Raymond Gunn. Following its festival screening, the movie is scheduled for select theatrical screenings on Dec. 4 before its Netflix release on Dec. 18.
NewsRadar AI DeskPublished Oct 12, 2026, 1:47 AM UTCUpdated Oct 12, 2026, 1:47 AM UTC · 0 updates
1 source 3 min read 0 views
Related archive image: Scarlett Johansson in Kuwait 01b.jpg. Not a photograph of this news event. Resized with padding to preserve the full portrait.
Thai horror film Rinrada: The Influencer, starring Yoshi Rinrada in her first horror lead role, has secured a series of international distribution deals across Asia and the Middle East. The announcements were unveiled at the Busan International Film Festival's Asian Contents & Film Market around the film's North American debut at Screamfest.
Netflix animated feature Ray Gunn held its world premiere at the London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall.
Director Brad Bird, voice stars Scarlett Johansson, and Sam Rockwell celebrated composer Michael Giacchino's birthday during the event.
Scarlett Johansson voices Venus Nova, and Sam Rockwell voices Raymond Gunn.
The film will play in select theaters on Dec. 4 before releasing on Netflix on Dec. 18.
What Happened
The world premiere of Netflix's animated feature Ray Gunn took place at the Royal Festival Hall during the London Film Festival. The screening coincided with the birthday of composer Michael Giacchino. Director Brad Bird acknowledged the occasion during his introduction, prompting voice actors Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell to lead a rendition of Happy Birthday to Giacchino, who captured the moment with a selfie.
Context for Sam Rockwell. Related archive image: Sam Rockwell-4433.jpg. Not a photograph of this news event. Resized with padding to preserve the full portrait. Credit: Harald Krichel. Image source · Image licence
Reaction
Scarlett Johansson stated that her primary motivation for joining the project was her desire to work with director Brad Bird, praising his complex character writing and unique artistic perspective in animation. Johansson voices Venus Nova, a pop star and love interest to Sam Rockwell's character, small-time private detective Raymond Gunn.
Background
Director Brad Bird explained that the inspiration for Ray Gunn originated from a misunderstanding of the B-52's 1979 sci-fi track Planet Claire, which he initially mistook for a new version of Henry Mancini's Theme From Peter Gunn before realizing it was something entirely different.
What's Next
Following its world premiere at the London Film Festival, which runs until Oct. 18, Ray Gunn is scheduled to play in select theaters on Dec. 4. It will subsequently release globally on Netflix on Dec. 18.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Why it matters
The premiere offers the first public look at Netflix's neo-noir sci-fi animated feature from director Brad Bird, complete with voice performances from prominent Hollywood actors and release date confirmation.
What we know
Ray Gunn had its world premiere at the London Film Festival at the Royal Festival Hall.
Brad Bird directed Ray Gunn and stated the film was inspired by mishearing the song Planet Claire.
Scarlett Johansson and Sam Rockwell provide voice work in the film.
Michael Giacchino composed the music for the film.
Ray Gunn is scheduled for select theaters on Dec. 4 and Netflix on Dec. 18.
YouTuber and gamer Gav Murphy revealed in a radio interview that his partner, Honey Ross, is learning his native Welsh language using the Duolingo app. Murphy explained that because Honey lacks confidence when speaking, she practices by talking to their dog, Coco, who will not judge her if she makes mistakes.
The Guardian reports on Wildwood, a new stop-motion animated family film created by the Portland-based Laika studio and directed by Travis Knight. Adapted from the book by Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy, the fantasy adventure follows a young girl named Prue as she enters a parallel forest world to rescue her baby brother.
According to Variety, Eddie Cahyono's fourth film, the Indonesian drama Ibuku, premiered in competition at the Busan Film Festival. The film follows the fraught relationship between an estranged mother, played by Christine Hakim, and her daughter in a Saudi prison, exploring the contemporary exploitation of migrant workers and parental regret.
· 1 source 2 min read 0 views
Ray Gunn World Premiere at London Film Festival: Release Dates
