Hi r/movies. I'm Matthew Robinson. I'm the screenwriter of GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON'T DIE, which is out in theaters everywhere via Briarcliff Entertainment.
It's directed by Gore Verbinski (RANGO, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, THE RING) and it stars Sam Rockwell, Zazie Beetz, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Pena, Juno Temple, and Asim Chaudhry.
I've also co-written THE INVENTION OF LYING, LOVE AND MONSTERS, and DORA AND THE CITY OF GOLD.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm4WbapDzDQ
Synopsis:
Claiming to be from the future, a man takes hostages at a Los Angeles diner to recruit unlikely heroes to help him save the world.
Ask me anything. I'll be back to answer questions tomorrow Saturday 2/21 at 4 PM PT/7 PM ET!
by MatthewRobinsonAMA
14 Comments
I loved a lot of the weird creatures and characters like the cat monster, creepy robots, and the pig mask guys. What was your mindset in creating them? Also is there more backstory you came up with for Sam rockwells character and the AI that isn’t shown in the movie
I read the January 2023 draft of the script a while ago. How long have you been kicking this premise around, and to what extent did such a wild concept change from the first draft to the final film?
Thanks in advance, you’re a solid writer and I’m looking forward to your future output.
When you were writing the big monologue at the start of the movie, did you have Sam Rockwell in mind? It’s a pretty ballsy way to start a movie if you don’t have an actor that can carry that scene.
Great timing… I’m heading to the theatre tonight to watch.
-How involved are you in the process *after* a script is set to be produced? Was this one any different than those previous?
-GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE marks your largest gap between films so far… what do you expect it to showcase that the previous ones didn’t?
-What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters in this market?
When you wrote the script, was the ending intended to be left up for interpretation or was/is there a continuation in mind?
Do you get that Face/Off shirt from Rucking Fotten?
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die looks really good and I can’t wait to see it. I just had to say before the post gets flooded that the invention of lying is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is really excellent and highly underrated. Thank you so much for all of your hard work.
My question is after having written a movie the script gets taken in by some huge production. When these enormously famous directors and producers jump on board, do you still get a say on the direction the story takes? Does it depend on the crew? Do cast members ever contact you to ask about a character, their motivations, goals, or thought processes?
I need to know everything about the writing of Susan’s backstory. I was in tears of laughter and shock that humor that dark made it into a wide release movie. What was the first reaction to that aspect of the script and handling that particular subject matter with humor? Was there any helpful feedback or personal parameters to help that element from delving into “provocative for provocative sake” territory?
Went in not knowing a ton about the movie but wanted to see Sam Rockwell. The high school scenes including the school shooting aftermath and cloning support group were unhinged in the best way. Everyone in the theater were laughing and gasping in disbelief simultaneously.
Do you have 1st hand experience dealing with schools either as a former teacher or by having kids in a school system?
Did you have Juno Temple in mind as the mother when you wrote that part? Her performance is incredible.
Thank you for your service.
What was your balancing process in regards to the heavy-handed commentary?
This is far from the first explicitly satirical commentary in recent years (Sorry to Bother You, Don’t Look Up, Eddington, etc.) so how did you find your balance on how heavy to lean in and trust that it wouldn’t become a parody of itself? Or was that not a fear at all?
As a semi-followup, how much does the edit reflect your initial concept/script and what do you think was added/subtracted from the script in production that helped it out?
Also, was Sam Rockwell an inspiration for the character as you were writing? Because it’s hard to imagine the film working out the same without him leading the absurdity as he has the perfect charm for a movie with a tone like this.
Thank you for doing this! I stuffed a lot into here so if you happen to answer don’t feel the need to elaborate on everything.
Matt!!!! No questions, but deeply miss the pod. Congrats on the movie!!!
First of all, I’ll start this with. I watched it yesterday and it will easily be one of my favorite movies of the year and it will be very hard to top.
Every single scene you just don’t know what you’re getting into but you know it’s going to be absolutely wild. Not only did every scene just ramp up in insanity, it had a very pointed message. It was a bit heavy handed, but with what that movie was it was a perfect way to do it.
My question is, was it written with Sam Rockwell in mind? The choice to have him as the lead was brilliant, as very few actors can be as unhinged, funny, and still grounded as he is.
Hi Matthew! This movie was exceptional.
How did the screenplay come into Verbinski’s hands? Did you always have him in mind as director and did you already have a working relationship with him? If so, fantastic choice!
What are some movie recommendations that can gear us up or set us in the right state of mind for GOOD LUCK, HAVE FUN, DON’T DIE?