Gore Verbinskiis returning to the director’s chair after an 8-year hiatus with his new film,Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. The new movie is currently in production in South Africa, which was recently confirmed byDeadline. Verbinski is bestknown for directing the first three entries in thePirates of the Carribeanfranchise, as well asThe Ring, and the animated western,Rango.
Written by Matthew Robinson (Love & Monsters), the official description forGood Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Diereads:
“A ‘Man From the Future’ arrives at a diner in Los Angeles where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons to join him on a one-night quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence”
The sci-fi, action-adventure film already has a notable cast attached,led by Sam Rockwell(Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) as the mysterious ‘Man From the Future.’ Alongside Rockwell,Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Diealso stars Haley Lu Richardson (The White Lotus), Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Michael Peña (Ant-Man), and Juno Temple (Ted Lasso).
Best Gore Verbinski Films, Ranked
Gore Verbinski has directed films of various genres and scales. Let’s take a look at movies throughout his extensive 30-year filmography.
Gore Verbinski made his directorial debut in 1997 withMousehunt, an absurd comedy starring Nathan Lane and Lee Evnas. Verbinski then went on to directThe Ringin 2002, before introducing the world toCaptain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)in 2003’sPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and returned to direct the film’s next two sequels. Verbinski’s last major success was in 2011, with the Oscar winningRango, which reunited Verbinski with Johnny Depp. But, Verbinski’s directorial career then took a downturn.
What Happened to Gore Verbinski?
After turning a Disney World theme park into one of the most popular franchises of all-time, and winning an Oscar, how did Gore Verbinski disappear into obscurity for 8 years? The answer likely lies in Verbinski’s two films followingRango.
Coming off the back ofRango, Verbinski returned to the Western genre, with Johnny Depp in tow forThe Lone Ranger, adapting the cult-classic comic book series for the big screen. However,The Lone Rangerwas a major flop for Disney, with the studio reportedly writing of a $190 million loss only a few weeks into its theatrical run. As well as poor reviews,Johnny Depp’s star power was fadingin 2013. Pair that with the fact that Westerns tend to under-perform in the international market, andThe Lone Rangerdrastically halted Verbinski’s meteoric rise.
Why Gore Verbinski Deserves a Comeback
Gore Verbinski has yet to make a new film after his last two films bombed at the box office, but is deserving of a comeback.
Verbinski tried to bounce back fromThe Lone RangerwithA Cure for Wellness, an R-Rated horror film starring Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, and(future horror icon) Mia Goth. LikeThe Lone Ranger, a cure for wellness received similarly poor reviews, and grossed just $26 million, against a $40 million budget.
The true reason for Verbinski’s departure from film making will likely remain unknown, considering the director is a famously private person. While he hasn’t directly worked on a movie in years, Verbinski has still been involved in film making circles, appearing on various podcasts and documentaries, includingThe Big Picture PodcastandKino+.
A release window is currently unconfirmed forGood Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die.
