Gore Verbinski has had a wide-ranging career as a director, with films like “The Ring,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Rango,” and “The Weather Man.” He arguably tapped into the cultural zeitgeist twice—with “Pirates” and “The Ring.”
Things slowed down after one of the biggest box office bombs ever, “The Lone Ranger,” followed by “A Cure for Wellness” in 2016. Verbinski hasn’t released a film since—but that’s about to change. His new movie, “Good Luck, Have, Don’t Die!” is set to hit theaters this January.
‘Good Luck’ had its first screening last night at Beyond Fest, where Verbinski joined a post-screening Q&A. When asked why it took him nearly a decade to return, he pointed to the industry’s current climate:
This is a hard time for original content. It feels like the big studios just want sequels and the streamers are shackled by their algorithms.
Fair enough—but worth noting that in 2018, Verbinski was attached to direct a “Gambit” movie for the X-Men universe before eventually dropping out. Isn’t that IP?
He also had plans for an animated feature called “Cattywumpus,” about cats in outer space. That project was originally set up at Netflix but later dropped, and Verbinski is still shopping it around.
Verbinski’s track record may be uneven, but he has consistently chased original stories (aside from one “Pirates” sequel). “Good Luck, Have, Don’t Die!” is no exception—a true original, described as a sci-fi action comedy led by Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, and Juno Temple.
Briarcliff Entertainment recently acquired U.S. distribution for ‘Good Luck,’ set up as Verbinski’s first film in 10 years, and gave it a wide theatrical release on January 30, 2026.