After years of speculation and fan anticipation, Pixar has confirmed that Incredibles 3 will move forward without Brad Bird in the director’s seat. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, who shaped the beloved superhero saga over the past two decades, has officially handed over directing duties to Peter Sohn — best known for Elemental and The Good Dinosaur.
Bird, however, isn’t leaving the franchise entirely. While he won’t be calling the shots on set, he penned the script for the third installment and will serve as co-producer. His absence behind the camera comes down to a matter of timing: Bird is currently deep into production on Ray Gunn, a science fiction passion project nearly three decades in the making.
Announced at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2024 with Bird still "developing" the next Incredibles chapter, the project’s creative leadership has now shifted to Sohn, marking a notable change in direction for one of Pixar’s most successful properties — the previous two films grossed a combined $1.8 billion worldwide. Whether Sohn will follow Bird’s precise formula or bring a more elemental touch of his own remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Ray Gunn finally appears to be becoming a reality. After years in limbo and a hard-won $150 million budget — reportedly financed only by Netflix — the animated noir adventure is aiming for release as early as next year. Co-developed with Matthew Robbins, the film tells the story of Raymund Gunn, the last human private eye in a gleaming, alien-infested future.
