Brad Bird says 1906 series could tell S.F. earthquake story over eight episodes
Brad Bird told Comic-Con that his long-developed 1906 earthquake project may work best as an eight-episode limited series.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
Brad Bird 1906 series chatter got a fresh jolt at San Diego Comic-Con, where the director said his long-developing story about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake could suit a multi-episode format, Deadline reported.
Bird, appearing at the “Brad Bird: My Cinematic Journey” panel in Hall H during Comic-Con 2026, said the project is difficult to summarize but “would lend itself to multiple episodes,” according to Deadline. He added that it centers on the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco.
The discussion came after Patton Oswalt, who voiced Remy in Bird’s Ratatouille, asked by video message whether Bird had a multi-episode project in mind. Deadline reported that Oswalt also slipped in a quick question about Ratatouille 2.
Will Brad Bird make 1906 as a TV series?
No television deal or production start was announced at the panel. Bird said the project could work across multiple installments and, when asked whether it might be a multi-season show or a limited series, he said he saw it as eight episodes, Deadline reported.
A limited series is a TV format designed to tell one complete story across a set number of episodes. For Bird’s 1906, the appeal appears to be room: enough time for detail, while still keeping the scale he wants for a major screen production.
Deadline reported that Bird said he remains interested in the project because of the richness of the period. He said that as he researched the era, more stories kept demanding a place in the work, making it harder to compress into a single film.
Bird also pushed back on online claims about why 1906 has not reached the screen. According to Deadline, he said there was “a lotta b.s.” online about the project and rejected claims that the budget had run out of control, saying the process had not reached that stage.
The director compared the development challenge to loading supplies into a hot air balloon and then having to remove items to get airborne, Deadline reported. The point: the more material he found, the more difficult it became to cut the story down.
Bird has been connected to 1906 since 2007, according to Deadline. The project would mark a shift for a filmmaker best known for features including The Incredibles, Ratatouille and the upcoming Ray Gunn.
What else did Brad Bird discuss at Comic-Con?
Michael Giacchino, who has composed music for several Bird films, surprised him during the Hall H panel, Deadline reported. Giacchino, whose credits cited by Deadline include Fantastic Four: The First Steps and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, tried to get Bird to say more about Incredibles 3.
Bird did not reveal new details on that sequel beyond his involvement as writer and his work with director Peter Sohn, according to Deadline.
The crowd also saw the first seven minutes of Ray Gunn, Bird’s next animated film, Deadline reported. The spy noir movie features the voices of Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Waits, and is set to arrive on Netflix on Dec. 18.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.