Rango 2 requires the right “check book” says director Gore Verbinski

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The 2011 film Rango was a big success, but a sequel never materialized, and director Gore Verbinski understands the reason. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die marked Verbinski’s return to filmmaking after a decade, following his previous film, the horror movie A Cure for Wellness.

Before making that surprisingly good horror film, he directed Rango, a quirky animated western starring Johnny Depp as a shy chameleon who unexpectedly finds himself the sheriff of a dusty desert town named Dirt.

Even though the movie Rango did well in theaters and critics generally liked it – it has an 88% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – a sequel never happened. Today marks the film’s 15th anniversary, so we asked director Gore Verbinski why we haven’t seen a second installment.

Gore Verbinski says Rango 2 needs someone with a check book

The movie Rango earned $246 million in theaters, but creating its stunning animation was expensive. It cost around $135 million to produce, and that doesn’t include the additional costs of promoting and advertising the film.

When asked about the film’s budget, Verbinski explained they aimed to compete with major animated productions, and their costs were comparable to those films.

The cost of making the first film is the main reason Verbinski hasn’t planned a sequel to Rango. He explains that recreating the original’s success would be difficult, saying, “It would be hard to repeat” the unique and lucky combination of factors that came together to make the first movie happen.

There’s still a chance for a Rango sequel! Director Gore Verbinski says he’d be open to it, but only if someone offers him a good financial incentive. He jokes, “Someone needs to suggest that to me… somebody with a checkbook!”

Until Verbinski gets the funding he needs, you can read his take on the most surprising moment in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, and learn about the film’s warnings about artificial intelligence.

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2026-03-04 14:49