Scarlett Johansson's Blade Runner Replacement Releases In 2 Months & Keeps Getting More Exciting

Published Oct 18, 2026, 10:40 AM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Scarlett Johansson's new sci-fi movie feels a lot like the actress' Blade Runner replacement, and ahead of its release in two months, the film just keeps getting better with every new update. Johnasson has starred in many sci-fi movies over the years. That includes projects like the romance Her, the cyberpunk Ghost in the Shell, and many other exciting genre releases.

Of course, when talking about Johansson's contributions to the sci-fi genre, it is impossible to leave out the Marvel Cinematic Universe's slate of projects. After all, she played Black Widow in the MCU for several years, appearing in some of the biggest movies of all time through the franchise. While focused on superheroes, the MCU uses sci-fi concepts like time travel, the multiverse, and more.

Marvel has two of its biggest movies yet on the docket for the next couple of years, with Avengers: Doomsday on December 18 and Avengers: Secret Wars in 2027. At this time, Johansson is not expected to appear as Black Widow or another character in either of them. That said, through Netflix's Ray Gunn, Johansson will soon return to sci-fi with a Blade Runner replacement, and that movie just keeps getting better ahead of its release.

Scarlett Johansson Stars In A Blade Runner-Like Movie: Netflix's Ray Gunn Explained

Ray Gunn will be released on Netflix on December 18. The noir sci-fi movie comes with a detective story that promises to bring a similar feel to Blade Runner, only in animation. Directed by animation legend Brad Bird, Netflix's Ray Gunn follows the title private investigator, voiced by Sam Rockwell, as he is drawn into the case of pop star Venus Nova, voiced by Johansson, who has been accused of murdering her ex-husband.

Set in the retro-futuristic city of Metropia, Ray Gunn spotlights the last human PI in the city, with the detective's investigation putting him right in the middle of shady dealings, murder, aliens, and shocking twists. While the sci-fi movie is two months away, we already have an idea of what Ray Gunn looks like. That comes through the Netflix sci-fi movie's premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10.

Ray Gunn Keeps Getting More Exciting

Through Ray Gunn's early premiere, viewers already know what critics have thought of the movie before the Blade Runner replacement comes to Netflix, and the sentiment is positive. Ray Gunn holds a near-perfect 93% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, already Certified Fresh. On X, director Guillermo del Toro shared his Ray Gunn review, calling Bird's noir sci-fi movie a "marvel to behold."

All this early praise raises excitement for Ray Gunn through the roof. Having Ray Gunn's overwhelmingly positive reviews be available for Netflix subscribers to read two months before the movie's release immensely increases awareness of it, plus it proves just how confident Netflix is in the film, which paid off with the near-perfect RT score. To have a legendary director like del Toro shower Ray Gunn with praise is the cherry on top.

This wave of positive reviews just adds to Ray Gunn's existing positive aspects. Among those is the fact that Bird, who has helmed animated masterpieces like The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille is returning to the medium with a sci-fi movie that looks absolutely stunning and oozing creativity. Additionally, Ray Gunn's voice cast, with Johansson, Rockwell, Alan Tudyk, Matt Berry, and more, brings charisma and nuance in spades.

Ray Gunn Comes On A Huge Day For Sci-Fi Fans

Ray Gunn needs all this positive talk, as it will be fighting for attention on its debut day with two massive theatrical releases. On December 18, the same day that Ray Gunn releases on Netflix, Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday and Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Three will arrive in theaters. Both of those are major sci-fi projects, one using the universe, while the other is a dark space opera.

That said, Ray Gunn should become an instant streaming hit for Netflix. While Avengers: Doomsday and Dune: Part Three are coming off years of anticipation for their release, Ray Gunn will be readily available for Netflix subscribers all over the world at no additional cost. As such, Ray Gunn comes as an easy two-punch or three-movie binge that day or over the weekend on Netflix for a massive sci-fi event.