Los Angeles — After a decade away from the director's chair, Gore Verbinski is back with a wild, AI-fueled sci-fi romp that blends dystopian dread with diner hijinks. His latest film, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, hits theaters this weekend via Briarcliff Entertainment, marking the Oscar winner's return to the big screen since his 2016 psychological thriller A Cure for Wellness. The movie, which follows a time traveler from a grim future who crash-lands at a Norms diner in Los Angeles and rallies a ragtag group of patrons to thwart an artificial intelligence apocalypse, took eight years to evolve from a quirky TV pilot into a full-fledged feature.
Verbinski, best known for helming the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that grossed over $3.76 billion worldwide, stepped away from directing to develop other projects, including an unproduced X-Men spinoff centered on Gambit and an animated feature tentatively titled Cattywumpus that was once eyed by Netflix. But it was the gonzo script for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die — penned by The Invention of Lying co-director Matthew Robinson — that lured him back. According to producers, Verbinski jumped at the opportunity with unbridled passion, responding to the pitch "with the enthusiasm of a gladiator," as 3 Arts Entertainment partner Erwin Stoff recounted to Deadline.
The project's origins trace back to 2018, when Robinson drafted a 26-page TV pilot called Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30. The initial concept centered on a classroom scene where a literature professor struggles to engage disinterested students with classic books. Recognizing the idea's potential but lacking depth for a series, Robinson expanded it into a series of vignettes featuring a "Man of the Future" navigating modern absurdities. "We knew there was something really cool," said Oly Obst, a producer and 3 Arts Entertainment partner who also represents Robinson.
Over the next few years, the script underwent rigorous development at 3 Arts' offices in Los Angeles. Read-throughs with a rotating group of writers and performers helped refine the story, ultimately steering it toward a feature film format. As artificial intelligence became an increasingly dominant topic in tech and culture — from Silicon Valley boardrooms to Hollywood writers' rooms — the screenplay's themes of AI's existential threats grew more urgent. "As time went on, the subject matter of AI only became more relevant and timely, and hotter and hotter," Stoff explained. He added that Robinson reached a tipping point, declaring, "Unless we make this now, the time is actually going to pass us by."
Several directors flirted with the project before Verbinski came aboard in what producers describe as a swift two-day turnaround. His involvement was facilitated by a prior collaboration with producer Denise Chamian, who joined the team and suggested Oscar winner Sam Rockwell for the lead role as the future warrior. Rockwell's attachment opened the floodgates for casting: Juno Temple, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, and Zazie Beetz soon signed on, bringing a mix of dramatic heft and comedic flair to the ensemble.
Production kicked off with financing from Constantin Film, which covered a net budget of around $20 million. To keep costs down, the movie was shot primarily in South Africa, standing in for a gritty Los Angeles. The iconic Norms diner — a real Los Angeles chain famous for its 24-hour service and retro vibe — was meticulously recreated on a soundstage in Cape Town. South Africa has previously doubled as L.A. in films like the 2006 drama Ask the Dust, starring Colin Farrell. From Verbinski's greenlight to the final cut, the journey spanned nearly three years, navigating script tweaks, casting, and the logistical challenges of international shooting.
Once completed, the film caught the eye of buyers during private screenings arranged by CAA Media Finance and The Gersh Agency. Briarcliff Entertainment, led by Tom Ortenberg, emerged as the frontrunner. Ortenberg, who worked at Columbia Pictures during the David Puttnam era when the studio distributed Terry Gilliam's surreal The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, saw echoes of Gilliam's whimsical style in Verbinski's vision. Briarcliff, which previously guided the Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice to two Oscar nominations, committed to a theatrical rollout, bucking trends toward streaming for indie fare.
The marketing campaign embraced the film's avant-garde, Terry Gilliam-inspired aesthetic, drawing from Monty Python animations, the 1985 dystopian classic Brazil, Mad magazine, and artist Robert Williams. The posters, designed by Kiera Maloney, Ben Garriga, and Brian Lauzon at AV Print under the guidance of Briarcliff's David Edwards and the multi-Clio-winning AV Squad, featured striking imagery: Rockwell donning a wired headdress, a finger hovering over a bomb trigger in the title treatment, and a group ensemble shot. This visual boldness set the tone for a promotional blitz that included pranks and stunts to highlight the movie's anti-AI message.
One stunt involved a plane towing a banner over Silicon Valley that read, “Hire Human Beings #GoodLuckHaveFunDon’tDie.” Another offered 2,000 free tickets to individuals recently displaced from jobs by AI automation. The Los Angeles premiere on Monday recreated the Norms diner complete with klieg lights, a guest DJ set by electronic duo The Crystal Method — for whom Verbinski once directed a music video — and an electric atmosphere that drew industry insiders and fans alike.
Social media played a pivotal role, with a TikTok contest inviting users to remix high-res footage from the film into fan edits. Influencers amplified the buzz: absurdist creator @TrueWagner (Alan Wagner) staged an AI-generated son viral video and a website stunt that garnered 3 million organic views, culminating in a real billboard appearance in New York City's Times Square promoting the movie.
The film made its world premiere as a surprise screening at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, last fall, followed by showings at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Early festival reactions praised its blend of humor, horror, and timely commentary, positioning it as a potential sleeper hit in a crowded indie landscape.
Box office prognosticators suggest Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die could shatter Briarcliff's opening weekend record, surpassing the $4.3 million four-day debut of Liam Neeson's 2020 actioner Honest Thief. For a distributor known for calculated risks on provocative content, this represents their most ambitious promotional push since The Apprentice. Stoff emphasized the role of bold financiers like Constantin in enabling such projects: “Thank God financiers like Constantin exist, because that’s what makes it possible to make these types of films, and it takes this kind of determination to make movies like this and show theatrically.”
Obst echoed the sentiment, warning against creative timidity in an era of algorithmic content. “One of the worst types of censorship is self-censorship," he said. "If people aren’t willing to take risks on scary, crazy, adventurous stories, then we’ll start to self-censor ourselves and stop trying to tell them.” As AI continues to reshape industries from tech to entertainment, the film's release arrives at a cultural inflection point, with Verbinski himself voicing concerns about technology's encroachment on human creativity during recent interviews.
Looking ahead, the movie's theatrical bet could signal a resurgence for mid-budget originals amid streaming dominance. Whether it draws crowds with its offbeat premise or sparks debates on AI ethics, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die underscores Verbinski's enduring flair for the fantastical. For now, audiences are invited to the diner — just don't forget the warning in the title.