Why Gore Verbinski is done with Pirates of the Caribbean

by

The first three Pirates of the Caribbean films were directed by Gore Verbinski. However, despite rumors of another movie being made, the director isn’t interested in coming back to work on the series. He’s moved on, even though fans might hope for his return. It seems unlikely he’ll be involved in future installments.

After a long break following the 2016 horror film A Cure For Wellness, Gore Verbinski returns as director with Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, a time-travel story. It first showed at Fantastic Fest last month and will be available globally in January.

Verbinski began his career as a feature film director with Mouse Hunt, and he achieved success with a reimagining of The Ring – a film we included in our ranking of the greatest horror movies – and the popular animated movie Rango.

However, he’s most famous for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Films like Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and At World’s End were huge financial successes around the world, demonstrating that a theme park ride could be successfully adapted into a film.

Gore Verbinski says three Pirates of the Caribbean movies was “perfect for me”

After directing the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, two more movies – On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales – were made. However, Gore Verbinski wasn’t involved with either of them, and he doesn’t want to direct a potential sixth film.

“I’ve actually finished with the series,” the director explains when questioned about a possible return. “I believe that making three films was the right amount for me.”

I’m driven by a desire to learn new things. I enjoy tackling challenges and figuring out how to do things I previously couldn’t. But once something becomes too easy – when I feel like I’ve mastered it – I lose interest. It’s better to move on to something else, even something completely different, like selling real estate. It’s never been about the money for me; it’s all about the experience [and] the thrill of trying new things.

When discussing experimentation, Verbinski mentions Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, a film about a strange man – portrayed by Sam Rockwell – who travels from the future. His mission is to enlist people living today to battle a threat posed by artificial intelligence. He begins this recruitment by unexpectedly entering a diner and giving a detailed speech about the risks facing humankind.

“I was really worried about starting the movie with an 11-page monologue,” Verbinski admits. “So I spent a lot of time on it, honestly. I wanted to ensure that as the character enters the scene, the audience doesn’t immediately trust him, and that by the scene’s end, they’re invested enough to follow his story. That felt incredibly important, and I enjoy tackling those kinds of difficult tasks.”

The game Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die will be available globally on January 30, 2026. Meanwhile, here’s what needs to happen for Johnny Depp to reprise his role as Jack Sparrow in future Pirates of the Caribbean films.

Read More

2025-10-01 14:49