So, Gore Verbinski is back.
In September, “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die!” surprise-screened at Fantastic Fest—well over four months before its January 2026 release. A sign of confidence on the part of Briarcliff? The film currently stands at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 79 on Metacritic (based on only four reviews).
As is the case whenever a film is screened in advance, we should always take early reactions with a grain of salt. Still, it’s looking good so far for Verbinski’s comeback vehicle, and now a trailer has been released for the film.
Judging by the trailer, it’s a completely wild ride: a giant horse, a chaotic birthday party, zombies climbing over each other, robotic dolls, missiles, and even an indoor tornado—how all this fits into a single movie is anyone’s guess, but it’s impossible not to be intrigued.
“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die!” is set to be Verbinski’s first film in over nine years. He’s assembled an excellent cast for his comeback vehicle: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, and Juno Temple.
The film centers on a “man from the future” (Rockwell) who arrives at a diner in Los Angeles, where he must recruit the precise combination of disgruntled patrons (Richardson, Peña, Beetz, Temple) to join him on a one-night, six-block quest to save the world from the terminal threat of a rogue artificial intelligence.
Before his nine-year hiatus, Verbinski had a mostly successful career with films like “The Ring,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Rango,” and “The Weather Man.” But then came the slump: 2013’s “The Lone Ranger”—one of the biggest box-office disasters of all time—followed by 2016’s “A Cure for Wellness.” He hasn’t directed a film since.
Briarcliff Entertainment recently acquired U.S. distribution for “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die!” and has set a wide theatrical release for January 30, 2026.