One of Brad Bird’s shelved animated projects is getting a second chance at Skydance Animation. Deadline brings word that the studio has officially landed the rights to Ray Gunn.
To say the film has been a long time coming would be a pretty big understatement. In fact, Bird conceived the idea for Ray Gunn in the early ‘90s and began developing the project for Turner Entertainment. But after Turner merged with Warner Bros. in 1996, the latter studio stepped in and convinced him to turn his attention toward The Iron Giant instead. Assuming Bird hasn’t made any tweaks to his original concept, the movie will take place in a retro-futuristic setting where humans and aliens co-exist with each other. When the last human private detective is hired to investigate a pop star’s infidelity, he uncovers a conspiracy that’s far more insidious.
Ray Gunn will be Bird’s first animated feature since Incredibles 2 bowed in 2018. But more importantly, it marks the first time that the longtime Pixar mainstay has made an animated movie for a rival studio since The Iron Giant hit theaters in 1999. Bird is producing the movie with Skydance’s John Lasseter, David Ellison, and Dana Goldberg. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robbins, whom he previously collaborated with on 1987’s Batteries Not Included.
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“From his work on The Iron Giant to The Incredibles films and the work we did together on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Brad is one of the greatest filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Ellison in a new statement. “As a lifelong fan of animation, it is incredibly rewarding to be re-teaming with him to create this bold new world and we’re excited to get started.”
“[I’ve] had some of my best filmmaking experiences with Skydance and Pixar,” added Bird. “So it’s wonderful to be working with David, John and Dana again under one roof on Ray Gunn, a film I’ve wanted to make for a long time. We all love movies, and are crazy excited to create something new, thrilling and intensely cinematic.”
Are you happy to hear that Ray Gunn is finally coming to life? Let us know in the comment section below!
Photo Credit: Dan MacMedan/Getty Images
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