Scarlett Johansson (41) Turns Up the Glamour in a Strapless Red Satin Dress at the ‘Ray Gunn’ World Premiere
Scarlett Johansson has a well-earned reputation for bold red carpet color, and red in particular keeps coming back. At the London premiere of ‘Transformers One’ in 2024, she wore a rust-red gown with makeup coordinated to match. Few stars make a single shade feel so deliberate.
This year, London delivered another chance for that signature. The 70th BFI London Film Festival, which opened on October 7, has been packed with big names, with Johansson among the stars expected on the carpet alongside Robert Pattinson, Adam Driver, Jenna Ortega, Sebastian Stan and Cynthia Erivo. Animation has a big presence too, with Travis Knight’s ‘Wildwood’ and Brad Bird’s ‘Ray Gunn’ both premiering.
Scarlett Johansson at the ‘RAY GUNN’ premiere during the 70th BFI London Film Festival. 📷 https://t.co/RfZ0uj3TkM
— Cinethology (@thecinethology) October 10, 2026
On Saturday, October 10, Johansson stepped out for the world premiere of ‘Ray Gunn’. She wore a vivid red strapless satin dress with a gathered, structured bodice and a full skirt that fell just past the knee. The dress has pockets, and she posed casually with her hands tucked inside them.
Her styling stayed simple and let the color do the talking. Her blonde hair fell in soft, tousled waves at shoulder length, and her only accessory was a delicate gold pendant necklace. Brad Bird and co-star Sam Rockwell were photographed alongside her at the event.
📸 Scarlett Johansson hoje (10) na première de “Ray Gunn.” #LFF https://t.co/f3BGtbn3Z2
— Scarlett Johansson Brasil (@scarlettjssonbr) October 10, 2026
The premiere is a big moment for the project. ‘Ray Gunn’ is an animated neo-noir science fiction mystery directed by Bird, who co-wrote it with Matthew Robbins. The film runs 119 minutes, and the BFI has confirmed it as one of the festival’s world premieres.
Johansson voices Venus Nova, a hugely famous multimedia star whose troubles become tangled up in an investigation. Sam Rockwell voices private investigator Raymond Gunn, who is described as the last human private detective. The story unfolds in an alternate version of 1939 where humans live alongside aliens.
https://t.co/qXwI3E4bgJ
— Media Updates (@mediaforupdates) October 10, 2026
Bird has said the idea for ‘Ray Gunn’ has been in his mind for more than 30 years. He and Robbins developed the original script in the mid-1990s, but the film did not get the go-ahead until Skydance Animation stepped in around 2022. It is Bird’s first film in eight years.
The long development had a cost. Bird stepped away from directing ‘Incredibles 3’, which Peter Sohn will now helm. Bird is a two-time Oscar winner for ‘The Incredibles’ and ‘Ratatouille’, and this is his first animated feature outside Pixar since ‘The Iron Giant’ in 1999.
Johansson and Rockwell lead a deep voice cast. Tom Waits voices a character named Eyera, and the cast also includes Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Rodriguez, Matt Jones, Aasif Mandvi, Alan Tudyk and Kathryn Hunter. John Ratzenberger, a longtime Bird collaborator, is also part of the project.
Michael Giacchino composed the score. The film is produced by John Lasseter, Bird, Lisa Beroud, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg.
First trailer for Brad Bird’s RAY GUN Releasing December 18 on Netflix. https://t.co/FR993sqjT5
— Daniel Richtman (@DanielRPK) September 23, 2026
The London festival audience is getting an early look. A second festival screening is set for the BFI IMAX on October 17, the same day the film plays as the animation centerpiece of the Montclair Film Festival. Netflix will release ‘Ray Gunn’ in select theaters on December 4, followed by its streaming debut on December 18.
That streaming date is a busy one. It is also the release date for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ and ‘Dune: Part Three’, which makes December 18 one of the most crowded days of the movie year. A premiere this stylish, with a star this camera-ready, is a strong way to build buzz.
The red satin dress fits neatly into the film’s retro-noir mood. Its clean lines and bold color nod to old Hollywood without feeling like a costume. It also keeps the spotlight on Johansson herself, who at 41 shows no sign of slowing down.
Between the dress and the early buzz around the film, the evening was a promising start for ‘Ray Gunn’. Fans will soon find out whether the movie lives up to its decades of build-up.
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