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Gore Verbinski

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Gore Verbinski
Verbinski in 2026
Born
Gregor Justin Verbinski

(1964-03-16) March 16, 1964 (age 62)
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.
EducationUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
Occupations
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
  • musician
Years active1989–present
Notable workMouse Hunt
The Ring
Pirates of the Caribbean
Rango
The Lone Ranger
SpouseClayton Verbinski
Children2
AwardsAcademy Award for Best Animated Feature
Rango (2011)
BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film
Rango (2011)
Musical career
GenrePunk rock[1]
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1980s-present
Formerly ofDaredevils

Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and musician. He is best known for directing Mouse Hunt (1997), The Ring (2002), the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, Rango (2011), and The Lone Ranger (2013). For Rango, Verbinski won both the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film.

Early life

[edit]

Verbinski was born in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the fourth of five children of Laurette Ann (née McGovern) and Victor Vincent Verbinski, a nuclear physicist.[2][3] His siblings are Janine, Claire, Diane, and Steven.[citation needed] His father was of Polish descent,[2][4] and worked as a nuclear physicist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In 1967, the Verbinski family moved to Southern California, where a young Gregor grew up in the town of La Jolla. Gregor was an active Boy Scout and surfed regularly. He went to Torrey Pines Elementary, Muirlands Junior High, and La Jolla High School (Class of 1982[5]), before attending UCLA Film School. Verbinski graduated with his BFA in Film in 1987. In his youth, Verbinski was passionate about music and played in several punk rock bands, which influenced his creative approach.[1]

Career

[edit]

Music

[edit]

Verbinski was active in several L.A. rock bands early in his career. He played guitar in the Daredevils, Bulldozer with John Thum, Mike Parma and Wiggy, the Drivers, and the all-star band the Cylon Boys Choir. He was also in a band called the Little Kings, which backed Stiv Bators on his version of "Have Love, Will Travel" with amateur drummer Chris "Poobah" Bailey. Along with a cover of the Moody Blues song "The Story in Your Eyes" (by other musicians), the song was released by Bators in the fall of 1986 as a 12-inch single on Bomp! (catalogue No. 12136) and was later included in Bators' compilation album L.A. L.A. On the compilation album's liner notes, label owner Greg Shaw described the band as "an adequate but rootless Hollywood glam-damaged band with tattoos".

Film

[edit]

His first films were a series of 8 mm films called The Driver Files c. 1979, when he was a young teen. After graduating from film school at UCLA, he got his first job as a script reader at the commercial production company Limelight in 1987. After director Julien Temple viewed some of his work, he signed to his production company Nitrate Films, and later Palomar Pictures,[6] where he directed music videos for bands like Vicious Rumors, Bad Religion, NOFX, 24-7 Spyz and Monster Magnet. Verbinski moved from music videos to commercials, where he worked for many brand names including Nike, Coca-Cola, Canon, Skittles and United Airlines. One of his most famous commercials was for Budweiser, featuring frogs who croak the brand name. For his efforts in commercials, Verbinski won four Clio Awards and one Cannes Advertising Silver Lion.

After completing a short film, The Ritual (which he both wrote and directed), Verbinski made his feature film directing debut in 1997 with Mouse Hunt, which became a global hit. Following that film's success, Verbinski planned and developed several aborted projects; The Sky Is Falling,[7] The Lighthouse,[8] Mission to Mars,[9][10] How Georgie Radbourn Saved Baseball,[11] Where the Wild Things Are,[12] The Big Ticket,[13] The Light Princess,[14] Catch Me If You Can,[15][16] Project 3,[17][18] and a remake of Ten Seconds to Hell.[19]

Verbinski in 2010

Verbinski returned in 2001 with the action/comedy The Mexican, starring Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. The film received mixed reviews, and performed modestly at the box-office, earning $68 million domestically which was quite meager considering its star power (it was technically successful due to its moderately low $38 million budget). Verbinski followed it up with the horror film remake The Ring (2002), which struck gold globally, grossing well over $200 million worldwide. He was briefly in negotiations about returning to direct the sequel.[20] Verbinski also had a directorial hand in The Time Machine that year, temporarily taking over for an exhausted Simon Wells.[21] Verbinski directed some of the underground Morlock sequences[citation needed] and is given a "Thanks to" credit in the film.

He then directed the very successful Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl which earned over $600 million at the international box office. This was his first collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whom he has since collaborated with on several other movies. His next film was The Weather Man, which starred Nicolas Cage. The film received mixed to positive reviews but was a box office failure. In March 2005, he started filming the sequels Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The former then became his biggest success so far, becoming the third film ever to gross over $1 billion at the international box office. In 2008, Verbinski's Blind Wink production company signed a deal with Universal.[22] Verbinski was also set to direct a film for Universal based on the video game BioShock.[23] However, budgetary and creative disputes stemming from Verbinski's wish to incorporate a functioning underwater rail transport system, driven by his noted fascination with trains, derailed development. Verbinski was then replaced by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo as director and the film was subsequently cancelled.[24]

At the end of 2008, Verbinski and Universal Pictures acquired a 2007 Wall Street Journal article on the subjects of RPGs that would be used as the basis for a film which he would direct and co-produce. According to Variety, it "focuses on a married man who spends as many as 20 hours a day on a computer, existing through an avatar who is a thriving, musclebound entrepreneur. In reality, he is a diabetic, chain-smoking 53-year-old."[25]

In 2010, Verbinski was involved to make his first foray into television with a drama project at Fox called Magical Law, written by Pirates of the Caribbean writer Terry Rossio, that was said to put a "supernatural twist on the cop/legal genre."[26] In 2011 and 2013, he would delve into the Western genre, with decidedly different results: Rango was well received, critically and commercially, and earned the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. However, his adaptation of the 1930s radio hero, The Lone Ranger for Disney, was not, the project having been stuck in development hell for several years, undergone rewrites and budget cuts,[27][28] and gained controversy for the casting of Johnny Depp as the Native American Tonto. The film grossed $260 million against a $215–225 million budget, plus an estimated $150–160 million marketing campaign.[27] That same year, he was also the executive producer of the Ben Stiller adaptation of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, after having initially been attached in 2010 to direct the film himself.[29]

In 2012, Verbinski announced three films in development at Blind Wink; the Western Bitterroot, the sci-fi film Spaceless, and a live action film based on the board game Clue. At various points, he was attached to direct all three films, before eventually opting to produce instead.[30][31][32][33]

In 2014, New Regency dropped plans to adapt the graphic novel Pyongyang into a vehicle for Steve Carell, with Verbinski as director. Entitled Gregory the Nuisance, it was slated to start production in March 2015, but was cancelled due to the Sony cyberattack.[34][35] The following year, Sony acquired a large scale action-adventure-comedy, for Verbinski to direct and Steve Conrad to write, about a "transcontinental car race with autonomous vehicles."[36]

In 2016, Verbinski's horror film A Cure for Wellness starring Dane DeHaan and Mia Goth premiered at the Alamo Drafthouse before receiving a wide release in 2017.[37] It received mediocre reviews from critics and was a financial bomb, grossing $26.6 million against a $40 million budget.[38] Verbinski was set to next direct a film centering around the character Gambit, within the X-Men film universe, before dropping out of the project in January 2018.[39] He afterwards signed on for Josh Bazell's Beat the Reaper, starring Sebastian Stan,[40] which was not filmed.

Verbinski at the press conference for the film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival

In the 2020s, he was seeking financial backing for Cattywumpus, an animated feature about cats in outer space, after being in the works at Netflix.[41][42] He was also working with writer Dennis Kelly on a feature version of the story "Sandkings" by George R. R. Martin.[43] Both were set to be animated films, with Roger Deakins committed as cinematographer.[44]

While promoting his comeback Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, Verbinski divulged the voice cast of Cattywumpus: Anderson Paak, H.E.R., Glenn Close, Ice Cube, Andy Serkis, Michael Peña, Danny Glover and Michael Kenneth Williams. The backing band for the complete soundtrack was led by Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk.[45][46]

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die premiered at the 2025 Fantastic Fest, marking Verbinski's first film in nearly ten years, and was released in the United States on February 13, 2026 by Briarcliff Entertainment. It had its international premiere out of competition at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival. Verbinski teased that he had "two more" follow-ups to the film, which would only happen if the interest were there.[47]

As of 2026, Verbinski is continuing to develop Sandkings and Cattywumpus, in addition to a "very strange" adaptation of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies and "three or four original scripts".[48] An eight-episode of version of The Stars, My Destination was also said to be in the planning stages.[49]

Video game

[edit]

Verbinski was involved with Matter, an original futuristic video game that was being developed for the Xbox 360 using Kinect. It would have used the Kinect peripheral.[50] It was originally announced at E3 2012; the game was set in a universe similar to that of Tron,[51] with futuristic, industrial graphics, and featured small, metallic balls as the main characters.[52]

The game was announced to be cancelled about a year later.[53] While reasons for the cancellation are unknown, a poster on the NeoGAF forums hinted at mismanagement and the studio's unfamiliarity with game development as the main problem.[54]

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]
Year Title Director Producer Writer Notes
1996 The Ritual Yes Yes Yes Short film
1997 Mouse Hunt Yes No No
2001 The Mexican Yes No No
2002 The Ring Yes No No
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Yes No No
2005 The Weather Man Yes No No
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Yes No No
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Yes No No
2011 Rango Yes Yes Story Also voiced Sergeant Turley
2013 The Lone Ranger Yes Yes No
2016 A Cure for Wellness Yes Yes Story
2025 Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die Yes Yes No

Executive producer

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Artist
1989 "S&M Airlines" NOFX
1990 "Don't Wait for Me" Vicious Rumors
1990 "Fast and Frightening" L7
1991 "Children" Vicious Rumors
1992 "Stuntman" 24-7 Spyz
"Atomic Garden" Bad Religion
1993 "American Jesus"
1994 "21st Century (Digital Boy)"
"Stranger than Fiction"
1995 "Negasonic Teenage Warhead" Monster Magnet
2004 "Born Too Slow" The Crystal Method

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Year Category Nominated work Result Ref.
Academy Awards 2012 Best Animated Feature Rango Won [55]
Amanda Awards 2004 Best Foreign Feature Film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Nominated [56]
Annie Awards 2012 Outstanding Directing Rango Nominated [57]
Outstanding Writing Won
BAFTA Awards Best Animated Film Won [58]
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Awards 1995 Silver Lion Budweiser: "Frogs" Won [59]
Golden Globe Awards 2012 Best Animated Feature Film Rango Nominated [60]
Golden Raspberry Awards 2014 Worst Director The Lone Ranger Nominated [61]
Hollywood Film Awards 2003 Movie of the Year Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Won [62]
2011 Animation of the Year Rango Won [63]
Hugo Awards 2004 Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Nominated [64]
Producers Guild of America Awards 2012 Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures Rango Nominated [65]
Saturn Awards 2004 Best Director Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Nominated [66]
Year Film Academy Awards BAFTA Awards Golden Globe Awards
Nominations Wins Nominations Wins Nominations Wins
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 5 5 1 1
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 4 1 5 1 1
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2 1
2011 Rango 1 1 1 1 1
2013 The Lone Ranger 2
Total 15 2 12 3 3 0

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Knopper, Steve (July 9, 2006). "5 questions with Gore Verbinski, director of both 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies, who discusses punk music's link to pirates". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Cinema Odeon – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest". www.odeonline.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Victor Verbinski Obituary (2005) - San Diego, CA - San Diego Union-Tribune". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  4. ↑ Gazeta Wyborcza – internetowe wydanie. Wyborcza.pl (October 3, 1928). Retrieved on 2011-05-31. Archived April 11, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ La Jolla High yearbook
  6. ↑ "Ad world's hottest prod'n pros". Variety. April 22, 1994. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ Petrikin, Chris (March 30, 1998). "Verbinski reaches for NL's 'Sky'". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  8. ↑ Petrikin, Chris (August 4, 1998). "Gerber nabs 'Lighthouse'". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  9. ↑ Cox, Dan; Petrikin, Chris (October 2, 1998). "Verbinski to helm Mouse's 'Mars'". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  10. ↑ Chris Petrikin; Dan Cox (October 11, 1999). "'Mars' loses Verbinski". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  11. ↑ Hindes, Andrew (January 6, 1999). "Verbinsky's in dugout as 'Baseball' director". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ Cox, Dan (February 16, 1999). "U and Hanks going 'Wild'". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  13. ↑ Hindes, Andrew (June 24, 1999). "Inside Moves". Variety. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  14. ↑ Petrikin, Chris (September 27, 1999). "Fox taps 'Princess' scribe". Variety. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
  15. ↑ Brodesser, Claude; Lyons, Charles (July 31, 2000). "DiCaprio plays 'Catch'". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt & the Other Gore". Movieline. March 2001 [February 13, 2001] – via Tripod (Locos).
  17. ↑ Lyons, Charles (January 11, 2001). "Revolution's evolution". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ Fleming, Michael (February 14, 2001). "Beresford goes home again; 'Project' pulled". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  19. ↑ Fleming, Michael (February 28, 2001). "'Hell' revisited; Eminem gets $4 mil offer". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2025.
  20. ↑ Claude Brodesser; Marc Graser (December 9, 2002). "D'Works fits duo for 2nd 'Ring'". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Time Machine director bows out". The Guardian. May 11, 2001. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022.
  22. ↑ Graser, Marc (August 4, 2008). "Verbinski inks first-look deal at U". Variety. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  23. ↑ Fritz, Ben; Fleming, Michael (May 9, 2008). "Gore Verbinski to direct 'Bioshock'". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ Robinson, Martin (March 12, 2013). "Ken Levine personally killed off the BioShock film – here's why". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  25. ↑ Fleming, Michael (December 16, 2008). "Universal, Verbinski plan to role-play". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  26. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 17, 2010). "Fox Teams With Gore Verbinski And Terry Rossio For Supernatural Crime Procedural". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  27. 1 2 Graser, Marc (June 25, 2013). "Disney, Bruckheimer See 'Lone Ranger' as New Genre-Bending Superhero". Variety. Retrieved June 26, 2013. The picture cost approximately $250 million to produce, and more than $150 million to market and distribute around the globe ... Pre-production was halted until the filmmakers could wrangle the cost down to a more manageable $215 million ... Despite all the strife over the budget, the ultimate cost of "The Lone Ranger" ballooned during production. Bruckheimer says he and Disney were responsible for covering the film's overages. Studio reps say the pic cost around $225 million, but sources say it was considerably higher.
  28. ↑ Karger, Dave (August 13, 2011). "Disney halts Johnny Depp's 'Lone Ranger'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Gore Verbinski to Direct 'Secret Life of Walter Mitty' Remake". The Wrap. June 29, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  30. ↑ Taylor, Drew (February 14, 2012). "Gore Verbinski Updates Us On 'The Lone Ranger,' Cary Fukunaga's 'Spaceless,' Chris Milk's 'Bitterroot' & More". IndieWire. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  31. ↑ Harris, Dana (October 13, 2003). "Right 'Man' for project". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2026.
  32. ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (January 14, 2009). "Gore Verbinski takes on new drama". Variety. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  33. ↑ Fleming Jr., Michael (February 24, 2009). "Gore Verbinski to develop 'Clue'". Variety. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ Friedman, Roger (October 28, 2014). "Steve Carell Teaming up with "Lone Ranger" Director Gore Verbinski?". Showbiz411. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  35. ↑ Ford, Rebecca (December 17, 2014). "Steve Carell's North Korea Thriller Dropped After Sony Hack". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  36. ↑ Fleming Jr., Michael (February 18, 2015). "Gore Verbinski, Steve Conrad Set Driverless Car Race Pitch At Sony". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  37. ↑ Leydon, Joe (December 13, 2016). "Harry Knowles' Annual Butt-Numb-a-Thon Teases 'Logan,' 'A Cure for Wellness'". Yahoo News. Variety. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  38. ↑ "A Cure for Wellness". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  39. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 11, 2018). "Gore Verbinski Pulls Off Of 'Gambit' Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  40. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (March 28, 2018). ""Avengers: Infinity War" Star Sebastian Stan Lands Lead in Leonardo DiCaprio-Produced "Beat the Reaper" (Exclusive)". The Tracking Board. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  41. ↑ Fisher, Jacob (April 13, 2020). "Gore Verbinski Set To Direct Untitled Animated Film For Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". DiscussingFilm. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  42. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 1, 2022). "Gore Verbinski Animated Pic 'Cattywumpus' To Be Shopped After Being In Works At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  43. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (March 2, 2021). "Exclusive: Gore Verbinski to Direct Adaptation of George R.R. Martin's 'Sandkings' for Netflix". Collider. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  44. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (March 3, 2021). "Exclusive: Gore Verbinski Is Working on Two New Animated Movies with Roger Deakins". Collider. Retrieved November 27, 2025.
  45. ↑ Rob London; Perri Nemiroff (October 23, 2025). "14 Years After 'Rango,' Gore Verbinski Reveals Incredible Cast for His Next Animated Movie [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  46. ↑ "After Rango, I really..." February 6, 2026. Retrieved April 14, 2026.
  47. ↑ O'Rourke, Ryan (January 29, 2026). "Gore Verbinski Teases Potential Sequels to 'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' [Exclusive]". Collider. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  48. ↑ Lee, Chris (February 13, 2026). "Why Gore Verbinski Disappeared From Hollywood". Vulture. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
  49. ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/gore-verbinski-good-luck-have-fun-dont-die-interview-ai-1236497029/
  50. ↑ Kaye, Darryl (June 4, 2012). "E3 2012: Microsoft Press Conference Live Blog". GamingUnion. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012.
  51. ↑ "E3 2012: Gore Verbinski's Matter Is An Xbox 360 Exclusive". Cinema Blend. June 4, 2012.
  52. ↑ "LocoCycle and Matter Reveal - E3 2012 Xbox 360". YouTube.
  53. ↑ "Gore Verbinski's Kinect game Matter cancelled". Develop. March 7, 2013.
  54. ↑ Owen, Phil (March 7, 2013). "Gore Verbinski's Kinect game Matter cancelled". VG247.
  55. ↑ "The 84th Academy Awards | 2012". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. October 7, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  56. ↑ Bugge, Gunnhild (June 29, 2004). "Amanda-nominasjonene klare". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  57. ↑ "The 39th Annie Awards | 2012". ASIFA-Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  58. ↑ "The 65th British Academy Film Awards | 2012". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  59. ↑ Shontell, Alyson (January 18, 2011). "The 10 Best Award-Winning TV Ads Everyone Must See". Business Insider. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  60. ↑ "Rango | Golden Globes". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  61. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (January 15, 2014). "2014 Razzie Nominations Include The Lone Ranger, After Earth, Grown Ups 2 and Movie 43". Collider. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  62. ↑ "2003 Hollywood Film Festival". Hollywood Film Awards. October 21, 2003. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  63. ↑ "2011 Hollywood Film Festival winners are: "Dorfman," "The World of Z," and "Clear Blue"". Hollywood Film Festival. October 26, 2011. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  64. ↑ "2004 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. July 24, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  65. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (January 21, 2012). "Producers Guild Awards Name 'The Artist' Motion Picture of Year; 'Boardwalk Empire' Scores TV Drama (Winners List)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  66. ↑ "The 30th Saturn Awards | 2004". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
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