Gore Verbinski is officially back. After nearly a decade away from the director’s chair, the filmmaker behind Pirates of the Caribbean, The Ring, Rango, and The Weather Man is returning with a bold new original film — and early reactions suggest it’s a hit.
Titled Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, the movie marks Verbinski’s first project in nine years and features a standout cast: Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, and Juno Temple.
The story centres on a mysterious man from the future (played by Rockwell) who appears in a Los Angeles diner. There, he must assemble a specific group of jaded customers to help him complete a one-night, six-block mission to stop a rogue artificial intelligence from ending the world.
A test screening source described the film as a "clever and original contemporary adventure" that taps into themes of AI, virtual reality, and digital escapism. The screening ended with rare, enthusiastic applause. Early reactions highlight the film’s bold visuals, dark humour, and fast-paced sci-fi storytelling, with one comparison drawn to Annihilation. Sam Rockwell’s performance was noted as a particular standout.
While Verbinski’s career includes major successes, it also saw a downturn after the box office flop The Lone Ranger (2013) and the divisive A Cure for Wellness (2016). But with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, Verbinski appears to have found his creative spark again.
The film currently has no distributor, but is expected to be shopped at the Cannes Market next month — and may well become one of the festival’s most buzzed-about titles.
