Rogue artificial intelligence has become a staple antagonist in modern blockbusters — from seizing control of nuclear systems in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning to spawning a 3D-printed army in Tron: Ares. Now, director Gore Verbinski (known for Pirates of the Caribbean, Rango) and writer Matthew Robinson (The Invention of Lying) tackle that same technological unease with a wildly inventive twist — think time travel, zombified teens, and an enormous horse.
The newly released trailer for Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, due in theaters on Feb. 13, 2026, opens with Sam Rockwell as a time-displaced man who bursts into a Los Angeles diner bearing an apocalypse warning — evoking echoes of 12 Monkeys or The Terminator. Clad in mismatched shoes, a raincoat, a child’s backpack and trailing tubes, he claims to be from a “nightmare apocalypse” and sets out to recruit helpers. Armed with gardening implements and sports gear, his ragtag crew braces for a surreal, chaotic night.
The danger appears to stem from a seductive new AI that has hypnotized teenagers, turning them into smartphone-wielding followers who hunt down their teachers — portrayed by Michael Peña (of Ant-Man) and Zazie Beetz (of Invincible). The trailer is packed with uncanny visuals: a pastel-hued kids’ birthday party gone wrong, creepy animated toys that feel like they were designed by Sid from Toy Story, and a colossal horse capable of crushing a car beneath its hoof.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die premiered publicly in September at Fantastic Fest, Austin’s genre-focused film festival, and earned generally positive notices — critics highlighted Rockwell’s performance and praised Verbinski and Robinson for a bleak yet provocative outlook on a present already rife with violence and Silicon Valley–driven excess. Reviews from outlets such as Variety and IGN reflect that generally favorable reception.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die opens in theaters on Feb. 13, 2026.
Source: Polygon
