Ray Gunn Premieres in London With Birthday Serenade — SkimNews
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- Brad Bird's animated neo-noir sci-fi "Ray Gunn" world premiered at the Royal Festival Hall during the London Film Festival on Saturday
- The premiere coincided with composer Michael Giacchino's birthday, prompting Johansson and Rockwell to sing a sped-up "Happy Birthday" before Giacchino took a group selfie
- Scarlett Johansson said her main draw to the project was Bird himself, calling the collaboration a "dream" she'd pursued for years
- Johansson voices Venus Nova, a famous pop star and love interest, while Sam Rockwell voices Raymond "Ray" Gunn, a small-time private detective
- Bird said the film was sparked after he mistook the B-52's 1979 track "Planet Claire" for a new version of Henry Mancini's "Theme From Peter Gunn"
- "Ray Gunn" plays select theaters Dec. 4 before its Netflix streaming release Dec. 18
Why it matters: Bird, long associated with Pixar's family animated canon, is delivering an adult-skewing neo-noir through Netflix with a brief 14-day theatrical window before the Dec. 18 streaming debut — a hybrid release pattern that gives the film awards-season theatrical exposure before pivoting to the platform.
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