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Here's a new edition of "Directors at the Box Office", which seeks to explore the directors' trajectory at the box office and analyze their hits and bombs. I already talked about a few, and as I promised, it's Gore Verbinski's turn.

Verbinski attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in cinematography. In his youth, Verbinski was passionate about music and played in several punk rock bands, which influenced his creative approach. He played for many bands, and subsequently got his start in the industry by directing music videos and commercials. Afterwards, he was allowed to make his directorial debut.

Mouse Hunt (1997)

"Who's hunting who?"

His directorial debut. It stars Nathan Lane, Lee Evans, Maury Chaykin, and Christopher Walken. The film follows two Laurel and Hardy-like brothers in their struggle against one small but crafty house mouse for possession of a mansion which was willed to them by their father.

The mousetraps scene was completed without any digital effects. Over 800 mousetraps were set individually and rigged with wires under the floor. It took several takes, so each trap had to be reset, baited, and wired one at a time. While close-ups used an animatronic rodent, and some scenes involved CGI, most shots were made using a team of 60 field mice trained by animal trainer Boone Narr. The mice were trained for everything from running and climbing to sleeping in a sardine can underneath a tissue paper blanket.

While the film received mixed reviews, it proved to be a leggy hit, earning over $120 million. Verbinski was just getting started.

• Budget: $38,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $61,917,389.

• Worldwide gross: $122,417,389.

The Mexican (2001)

"Love with the safety off."

His second film. The film stars Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, James Gandolfini, Bob Balaban, J. K. Simmons, and Gene Hackman. It tells the story of a small-time criminal who is sent on a mission to retrieve an antique pistol in Mexico, while his girlfriend, frustrated with their troubled relationship, finds herself entangled in a series of unexpected events.

The script was originally meant for an independent film without major movie stars. However, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt had for some time been looking for a project to do together, and after Roberts introduced the script to Pitt, they both agreed to star in it. Kevin Reynolds and David Fincher were both considered to direct the film. However, Reynolds turned it down because the cast was not confirmed, while Fincher was unavailable due to his prior commitments with the release of Fight Club. Additionally, Ben Stiller and Meg Ryan had also expressed interest in playing the lead roles in the film.

Roberts also suggested casting James Gandolfini, marking his first big film since he started filming The Sopranos. Gandolfini reportedly lost 35 pounds for his role, all of which he had to gain back before shooting re-commenced on the upcoming season of The Sopranos because series creator David Chase believed that The Sopranos audience would not like a "skinny" Tony Soprano.

The film received mixed reviews for its runtime, as well as the fact that Pitt and Roberts are kept apart for most of the film. But their presence was strong enough to make a splash at the box office, earning almost $150 million worldwide. So Verbinski clearly was doing something good.

And no, Paul Mooney has been lying to you. "The Mexican" ain't Pitt or Roberts, it's the goddamn pistol, pals.

• Budget: $40,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $66,845,033.

• Worldwide gross: $147,845,033.

The Ring (2002)

"Before you die, you see…"

His third film. A remake of Hideo Nakata's 1998 film Ring, based on the 1991 novel by Koji Suzuki, it stars Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, and Brian Cox. The film focuses on Rachel Keller, a journalist who discovers a cursed videotape that causes its viewers to die seven days later.

Verbinski was initially inspired to do a remake of Ring after Walter F. Parkes sent him a VHS copy of the Japanese film, which he described as "intriguing", "pulp" and "avant-garde". Several high-profile actresses were offered the lead role, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Connelly and Kate Beckinsale. Verbinski admitted to not wanting to cast "big stars" as he wanted his film to be "discovered" and described the wave of harsh criticism from hardcore fans of the original Japanese film as "inevitable", although he expressed desire for them to find the remake equally compelling.

For the choice of the film's color, it was decided that everything was to be tinged with the color green to give the film a sickly, unnatural feeling. Sets were also lit in a way that none of the characters have a shadow, to create an almost subconscious sense of creepiness. Verbinski also sought to retain the minimalism prevalent throughout Ring and set it in Seattle, due to its "wet and isolated" atmosphere.

The film debuted in just 1,981 theaters, earning $15 million on its opening weekend. That's a fine start, but nothing particularly memorable. The crazy story, however, was its second weekend; it actually increased by 23.1%. That was insane, as films never increased when they're already in wide release. Yes, the film added 653 theaters, but the per-theater average was just slightly below the previous weekend ($7.5K vs $7.0K). Its third and fourth weekend were also bigger than its first weekend. It eventually closed with $129 million domestically and $249 million worldwide, becoming one of the biggest horror remakes in history. It also received highly positive reviews, and it's considered one of the most iconic horror films of the century.

• Budget: $48,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $129,128,133.

• Worldwide gross: $249,348,933.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

"Prepare to be blown out of the water."

His fourth film. The film is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney theme parks, and stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. The plot follows the pirate Jack Sparrow and the blacksmith Will Turner, as they attempt to rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann. The trio encounters Captain Hector Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl, who are afflicted by a supernatural curse.

In 2001, Jay Wolpert wrote a script based on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was based on a story created by the Walt Disney Studios executives Brigham Taylor, Michael Haynes, and Josh Harmon. This story featured Will Turner as a prison guard who releases Sparrow to rescue Elizabeth, who is being held for ransom by Captain Blackheart. By March 2002, Disney brought Stuart Beattie in to rewrite the script because of his knowledge of piracy.

Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio notably thought about a pirate film based on the ride during the early 1990s, having pitched the idea after completing work on Aladdin as a premise to studio executives who were not interested at the time. Undeterred, the writing team refused to give up the dream, waiting for a studio to pick up their take on a pirate tale. Having worked with Disney on Aladdin and Treasure Planet, among other successful films, Elliott and Rossio were also brought in for Pirates of the Caribbean to give it a "more supernatural spin".

Despite their commitment, Disney was unsure whether to release the film in theaters or direct-to-video. This was because the swashbuckler genre was at an all-time low, particularly after the colossal disaster of Cutthroat Island. The studio was interested in Matthew McConaughey as Sparrow because of his resemblance to Burt Lancaster, who had inspired that script's interpretation of the character. If they chose to release it direct-to-video, Christopher Walken or Cary Elwes would have been their first choice.

In May 2002, Verbinski signed on to direct. He was attracted to the idea of using modern technology to resurrect a genre that had disappeared after the Golden Age of Hollywood. He recalled his childhood memories of the ride, feeling the film was an opportunity to pay tribute to the "scary and funny" tone of it. Although Dick Cook had been a strong proponent of adapting Disney's rides into films, the box-office failure of The Country Bears made Michael Eisner attempt to shut down production. However, Verbinski told his concept artists to keep working on the picture, and when Eisner came to visit, Eisner was astonished by what had been created.

Stuart Beattie wrote Jack Sparrow with Hugh Jackman in mind, but since Jackman was not well-known outside of his native Australia, the more-famous Johnny Depp was cast instead. Depp found the script quirky; rather than seeking treasure, the crew of the Black Pearl were trying to return it; also, the traditional mutiny had already taken place. Initially Sparrow was, according to Bruckheimer, "a young Burt Lancaster, just the cocky pirate." While Jim Carrey, Michael Keaton and Christopher Walken were considered, Depp was eventually cast, as Bruckheimer felt he could give the character the edge. At the first read-through, Depp surprised the rest of the cast and crew by portraying the character in an off-kilter manner. After researching 18th-century pirates, Depp compared them to modern rock stars and decided to base his performance on Keith Richards.

Despite the complications of filming on water and the amount of sets needed to create, it was actually a quick shoot; it lasted just five months. Due to this, Industrial Light & Magic immediately began visual effects work. While the skeletal forms of the pirates revealed by moonlight take up relatively little screen-time, the crew knew their computer-generated forms had to convey the performances of the actors, or else the transition would not work. Each scene featuring them was shot twice: a reference plate with the actors, and then without them to add in the skeletons, an aesthetic complicated by Verbinski's decision to shoot the battles with handheld cameras. It was Disney's first film distributed under the Walt Disney Pictures banner to be rated PG-13.

The film debuted on Wednesday, earning $70 million in its first five days. It was extremely leggy, not dropping higher than 34% until its 14th weekend. It closed with a colossal $305 million domestically and $654 million worldwide, becoming one of the biggest films ever. It also received highly positive reviews. Depp was not unknown before the film, he already had a career. But those were in small or cult films; this film cemented him as a big star. It received 5 Oscar nominations, including Best Actor for Depp, which was insane considering blockbusters rarely got this kind of recognition. Verbinski just kept rising.

• Budget: $140,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $305,413,918.

• Worldwide gross: $654,264,546.

The Weather Man (2005)

"…bring an umbrella."

His fifth film. It stars Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine and Hope Davis, and follows a Chicago-area weatherman who is in a midst of a mid-life crisis even as his career is potentially about to take off with a new job on a national television morning show.

Well, everything ends, apparently. The film received mixed reviews from critics, even worse word of mouth from audiences ("D+" on CinemaScore), and was Verbinski's first film to flop at the box office.

• Budget: $22,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $12,482,775.

• Worldwide gross: $19,126,398.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

"Captain Jack is back."

His sixth film. The sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, it stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Kevin R. McNally, and Jonathan Pryce. Set one year after the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the film recounts Captain Jack Sparrow owing a debt to Davy Jones, the ghastly captain of the Flying Dutchman, and being marked for death and pursued by the Kraken. Meanwhile, the wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett, who wants Turner to acquire Jack's magic compass in a bid to find the Dead Man's Chest.

Following the success of the original, the cast and crew signed on for two more sequels to be shot back-to-back, a practical decision on Disney's part to allow more time with the same cast and crew, as well as scaling back on the budget. Writer Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio decided not to make the sequels new adventures featuring the same characters, as with the Indiana Jones and James Bond series, but to retroactively turn The Curse of the Black Pearl into the first of a trilogy. They wanted to explore the reality of what would happen after Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann's embrace at the end of the first film, and initially considered the Fountain of Youth as the plot device. They settled on introducing Davy Jones, the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken. They also introduced the historical East India Trading Company, who for them represented a counterpoint to the themes of personal freedom represented by pirates.

This time, the sequels would require fully working ships, with a working Black Pearl built over the body of an oil tanker in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. By November 2004, the script was still unfinished as the writers did not want director Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer to compromise what they had written, so Verbinski worked with James Byrkit to storyboard major sequences without need of a script, while Elliott and Rossio wrote a "preparatory" script for the crew to use before they finished the script they were happy with. By January 2005, with rising costs and no script, Disney executives threatened to cancel the film, but changed their minds. The writers would accompany the crew on location, feeling that the lateness of their rewrites would improve the spontaneity of the cast's performances.

The Flying Dutchman's crew members were originally conceived by the writers as ghosts, but Verbinski disliked this and designed them as physical creatures. Their hierarchy is reflected by how mutated they were: newcomers had low level infections which resemble rosacea, while veterans had full-blown undersea creature attributes. Verbinski wanted to keep them realistic, rejecting a character with a turtle shell, and the animators watched various David Attenborough documentaries to study the movement of sea anemones and mussels. All of the crew are computer-generated, with the exception of Stellan Skarsgård, who played "Bootstrap" Bill Turner.

To create the CGI version of Davy Jones, the model was closely based on a full-body scan of Nighy, with Jones reflecting his high cheekbones. Animators studied every frame of Nighy's performance: the actor himself had blessed them by making his performance more quirky than expected, providing endless fun for them. His performance also meant new controls had to be stored. Finally, Jones' tentacles are mostly a simulation, though at times they were hand-animated when they act as limbs for the character.

Highly anticipated, it did not disappoint in the slightest. It opened with a huge $135 million, which was the biggest weekend in history. It ended with $423 million domestically, but the big story was the rest of the world, as the film crossed the $1 billion milestone. It was the year's highest grossing film, and the third biggest film ever at the time. It received mixed reviews, particularly for its story, but it was lauded for its extraordinary CGI. It received 4 Oscar nominations, winning for Best Visual Effects. James Cameron was so impressed by Jones' CGI, that he moved forward with Avatar, realizing the technology was ready.

• Budget: $225,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $423,315,812.

• Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

"At the end of the world, the adventure begins."

His seventh film. The third installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, it stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-fat, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport, Kevin R. McNally, and Jonathan Pryce. Set a few months after Dead Man's Chest, the story follows an urgent quest to locate and rescue Captain Jack Sparrow, trapped on a sea of sand in Davy Jones' Locker, and convene the Brethren Court in a war against the East India Trading Company. In an uneasy alliance, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Hector Barbossa, and the crew of the Black Pearl rescue Jack and prepare to fight Lord Cutler Beckett, who controls Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman.

As mentioned, it was shot back-to-back with the previous film. For the third film, Verbinski wanted to return the tone to that of a character piece after using the second film to keep the plot moving. Inspired by the real-life confederation of pirates, Elliott and Rossio looked at historical figures and created fictional characters from them to expand the scope beyond the main cast. Finally embellishing their mythology, Calypso was introduced, going full circle to Barbossa's mention of "heathen gods" that created the curse in the first film.

The climactic battle was shot in a former air hangar at Palmdale, California, where the cast had to wear wetsuits underneath their costumes on angle-tipped ships. The water-drenched set was kept in freezing temperatures, to make sure bacteria did not come inside and infect the crew. Industrial Light & Magic did 750 effects shots, while Digital Domain also took on 300. They spent just five months finishing the special effects. The film posed numerous challenges in creating water-based effects. This resulted in the film costing a colossal $300 million, which was a record at the time.

It premiered at a very competitive May 2007, in which Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third both opened with $120+ million each. It opened with $114 million, breaking the Memorial Day record. While it finished below the previous May 2007 titles, this was mainly attributed to the fact that it was released third, after the other two films, so there was already too much competition. It closed with $309 million domestically and $961 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing film of the year worldwide. It received mixed reviews, particularly for its over-abundance of characters. While the franchise kept going, Verbinski decided he was done.

• Budget: $300,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $309,420,425.

• Worldwide gross: $961,691,209.

Rango (2011)

"Heroes come in all different colors."

His eighth film. The film stars the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton, Ray Winstone and Timothy Olyphant. The film's plot centers on Rango, a pet chameleon who accidentally ends up in the town of Dirt, an outpost that is in desperate need of a new sheriff.

The idea was conceived in 2003 at a breakfast with Verbinski, John Carls and David Shannon at Art's Deli. David and John pitched a Western with creatures of the desert. The outline was made of four pages. Verbinski said his attempt with Rango was to do a "small" film after the first three large-scale Pirates of the Caribbean movies, but that he underestimated how painstaking, time-consuming and expensive animated filmmaking is. Paramount stepped in at the last possible minute as Verbinski's slim financing was about to run out.

The filming was described as "emotion capture" as the actors shot their scenes in live action for the animators to use as reference. During production, the actors and actresses received costumes and sets in order to "give them the feel of the Wild West". Depp had 20 days in which to voice Rango, and the filmmakers scheduled the supporting actors to interact with him.

The film had a solid box office run, earning $245 million worldwide. While it wasn't a success given that it cost $135 million, Paramount was reportedly content with the film's performance and formed their own animation department after the film opened. It received acclaim from critics, although audience reception was not as favorable ("C+" on CinemaScore, one of the worst grades for an animated title). The reception was reported due to the film's style and nature, with many feeling it would appeal more to adults. It surprised many by winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Film, the first award for Verbinski. To this day, it's hailed as one of the most unique animated films in recent years.

• Budget: $135,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $123,477,607.

• Worldwide gross: $245,724,603.

The Lone Ranger (2013)

"Never take off the mask."

His ninth film. Based on the title character, the film stars Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, James Badge Dale, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter and Curtis Cregan. The story tells through Tonto's memories of his time with John Reid / The Long Ranger, detailing the duo's earliest efforts to subdue local villainy and bring justice to the American Old West.

The project started development in 2002 at Columbia Pictures, with Jonathan Mostow set as director, but Columbia placed the film in turnaround. The Weinstein Company was interested in purchasing the film rights, but the deal fell apart when Entertainment Rights eventually optioned the property. They teamed with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and brought the film to Walt Disney Pictures. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who worked with Bruckheimer and Disney on the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, were being courted to write the script.

Subsequently, Depp was cast as Tonto, while Verbinski signed to direct soon after. Despite the producers citing the presence of an adviser from the Comanche Nation, some debated the advisability of casting Depp as a Native American and whether the film would present a positive and accurate representation of the Comanche. Depp has stated he believes he has Native American ancestry, possibly from a great-grandmother. He has said that he considered the role a personal attempt "to try to right the wrongs of the past", in reference to portrayals of Native American culture in the media.

August 2011, Disney announced that production on the film would be delayed due to budget concerns expressed by CEO Bob Iger and then Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross. The studio and production team constrained the film's allocated budget, with Verbinski, Bruckheimer, Depp, and Hammer, equally deferring 20% of their salaries to minimize the overall cost. After addressing the project's production problems in October 2011, Disney confirmed that the film was back on track after the budget was reworked to give the studio a chance to recoup its costs. After Alan Horn replaced Ross as chairman of the Walt Disney Studios in 2012, he began working right away on the film, and insisted on trimming most of the scene where Cavendish eats Dan Reid's heart. Horn later explained: "I like heart in my movies… but not that much heart."

Disney was hoping that, despite the amount of problems, they could replicate the success of Pirates of the Caribbean. After all, they spent $250 million on the film, alongside a further $150 million in promotion. It needed to be a hit.

But it wasn't.

Not even close.

The film was projected to debut with $70 million on its first five days, which was the same numbers as the first Pirates. But it debuted with just $48 million, and it was immediately called a box office flop. It also drew severe comparisons to John Carter, another massive Disney flop from the prior year. While Pirates held insanely well, The Lone Ranger evaporated very quickly, closing with just $89 million domestically and $260 million worldwide.

It was one of the biggest flops in cinema history, and continued Depp's losing streak at the box office after the failure of Dark Shadows. Once a reliable big name, his stardom was fading. To give you an idea of how terrible it did, there's the perception that streaming or DVD can be enough to salvage big flops. Not here. Studio president Alan Bergman explained that, one year later, Disney used subsequent release windows or other monetization methods on the film, and they were still nowhere close to being profitable.

It received terrible reviews, particularly over how the film prioritized action over storytelling. Verbinski, Bruckheimer, Hammer and Depp openly criticized the American critical reception of the film, arguing that the negative coverage surrounding the project was influenced by reports of production troubles, with Bruckheimer accusing critics of "reviewing the budget," instead of the film itself. Nevertheless, some were supportive of the film. One of those was Quentin Tarantino, who named the film as one of his favorite films of 2013.

• Budget: $250,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $89,302,115.

• Worldwide gross: $260,502,115.

A Cure for Wellness (2017)

"All of us are human. None of us are immune."

His tenth film. It stars Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, and Mia Goth, and follows a young executive who is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from a mysterious rehabilitation center in the Swiss Alps.

The screenplay was written by Justin Haythe, and based on a story conceived by Haythe and Verbinski, who were both inspired by the 1924 Thomas Mann novel The Magic Mountain. The central plot of Mann's novel also involves a sanitarium in the Swiss Alps. Verbinski and Haythe also state that the movie took visual and tonal inspiration from Silent era expressionist films and Universal Classic Monsters films.

Despite Fox putting a killer marketing campaign, the film flopped on its opening weekend with just $4 million. It fell by 67.8% on its second weekend, yet the worst was yet to come; the film was pulled from 97.8% of theaters (2,704 to 88), the largest such drop by percentage ever and at the time the second largest third-week theater drop by number of screens in history. It wound up with just $26 million, becoming another flop for Verbinski. It also received mixed reviews; while the cinematography and style was praised, there was criticism for the story and runtime.

• Budget: $40,000,000.

• Domestic gross: $8,106,986.

• Worldwide gross: $26,620,002.

The Future

After years of absence, he is currently filming his new film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, which stars Sam Rockwell, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Zazie Beetz, Juno Temple, and Dino Fetscher. A man from the future travels to the past and recruits the patrons of a Los Angeles diner he arrives in to help combat a rogue artificial intelligence.

He has said that he is working on two animated films, with cinematographer Roger Deakins involved.

FILMS (FROM HIGHEST GROSSING TO LEAST GROSSING)

No.	Movie	Year	Studio	Domestic Total	Overseas Total	Worldwide Total	Budget
1	Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest	2006	Disney	$423,315,812	$642,863,935	$1,066,179,747	$225M
2	Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End	2007	Disney	$309,420,425	$652,270,784	$961,691,209	$300M
3	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	2003	Disney	$305,413,918	$348,850,097	$654,264,546	$140M
4	The Lone Ranger	2013	Disney	$89,302,115	$171,200,000	$260,502,115	$250M
5	The Ring	2002	DreamWorks	$129,128,133	$120,220,800	$249,348,933	$48M
6	Rango	2011	Paramount	$123,477,607	$122,246,996	$245,724,603	$135M
7	The Mexican	2001	DreamWorks	$66,845,033	$81,000,000	$147,845,033	$40M
8	Mouse Hunt	1997	DreamWorks	$61,917,389	$60,500,000	$122,417,389	$38M
9	A Cure for Wellness	2017	20th Century Fox	$8,106,986	$18,513,016	$26,620,002	$40M
10	The Weather Man	2005	Paramount	$12,482,775	$6,643,623	$19,126,398	$22M

Across those 10 films, he has made $3,753,719,975 worldwide. That's $375,371,997 per film.

The Verdict

It's amazing to see how Verbinski started. He hit it right off the bat with success after success. And you can't say the success of Pirates of the Caribbean was inevitable; remember that swashbuckler films were box office poison at the time. Of course, his glory days are no longer around, given that he hasn't had a box office success in over a decade, but he has mostly proved himself to be a very reliable filmmaker.

Something to admire about him is the range of films at his disposal. Verbinski has made a family slapstick comedy, a gritty crime drama, a supernatural horror remake, a trilogy of swashbuckler films, a dark dramedy, an animated Western, a live-action Western action, and a psychological horror thriller. Say what you want about him, but he's not repetitive.

In this era of blockbusters, you have to admire a filmmaker like Verbinski. If you were to describe him in one word, is "ambitious", which is quite rare for blockbusters today. When he makes a film, he makes you sure you appreciate the tiniest details behind the production. Just look at Dead Man's Chest; the CGI is spectacular and looks so much better than blockbusters today. You don't have to like The Lone Ranger either, but the train crash sequence is also fantastic. Or the unbelievably fantastic production design on Mouse Hunt. Or the magic he created with The Ring, traumatizing so many generations. He is also not afraid to push for what's possible with lower ratings; he got a Disney film to open with a kid being hanged.

And that brings us to Rango. It's crazy how a studio accepted to give $135 million to this film. Even though it was distributed by a big studio like Paramount and was rated PG, it's a very strange film. Unlike anything we've seen; not even the Spider-Verse films are this weird. No wonder the audience reception was mixed; it's so tonally and aesthetically different from any other major animated film. Are kids really gonna get a film with references to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Chinatown, Apocalypse Now and Sergio Leone's films? Perhaps the weirdest animated film from a major American studio this century. But isn't that what we love about films? Different things? And Verbinski, like him or not, delivers ambition. And you gotta respect that.

Hope you liked this edition. You can find this and more in the wiki for this section.

The next director will be Brad Bird. The first Pixar filmmaker to get a post.

I asked you to choose who else should be in the run and the comment with the most upvotes would be chosen. Well, we'll later talk about… James Wan. Very appropriate, as we're kicking off October.

This is the schedule for the following four:

Week	Director	Reasoning
September 9-15	Brad Bird	What happened with Tomorrowland?
September 16-22	Jon Favreau	The beginning of the MCU.
September 23-29	John Hughes	The master of coming-of-age comedies.
September 30-October 6	James Wan	The biggest horror filmmaker today.

Who should be next after Wan? That's up to you. And there's a theme.

We've talked about so many franchises, but there's one franchise that I'm surprised has not been talked about so far. And that's the the theme; a director who helmed a James Bond film. 25 films, 12 different directors. That's a lot to choose from. So who's it gonna be?