Watch GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE Video Interview: Director Gore Verbinski
It was exciting enough to see the new Gore Verbinski film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, months ahead of time at Fantastic Fest 2025.
But I was shocked to hear I’d actually scored a face-to-face interview. It underscored for me just how much I love the man’s work.
He’s the kind of director who does big mainstream movies about decidedly odd stuff. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was based a theme park ride and introduced one of the most eccentric characters ever. Verbiniski has been all over the genre map leaving solid marks along his path. Mouse Hunt (1997) is a marvelous bit of stunt-laden slapstick that makes great use of stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans and Christopher Walken.
The Ring (2002), the first of the American adaptations of the J-Horror wave, was visually stunning and even more disturbing than the original. The animated film, Rango (2011) was charming as hell. Even A Cure for Wellness (2016) offered a feast of gothic imagery and dread despite whatever narrative problems obscured the view. In a word you could describe his oeuvre as eccentric.
