Gore Verbinski Proposes an AI Rating System for Films at Taormina

Gore Verbinski called for a film industry rating system for AI disclosure at the 72nd Taormina Film Festival this week, where the Pirates of the Caribbean director was presenting "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die," his science fiction film starring Sam Rockwell. "You almost need a rating system," Verbinski said. "If you use AI to write a script, you get an F."

'If You Use AI to Write a Script, You Get an F'

Verbinski envisions a disclosure system modeled on the MPAA framework, applied to AI use rather than content. It would require filmmakers to declare specifically what AI was used for, with each category of use carrying a public grade visible to audiences and the industry at large.

A check box system already exists on some productions, requiring declarations of no AI use. Verbinski argues it is inadequate for where the technology is headed. "You're supposed to check this box to say no AI is used in your movie, and it's going to become very complicated soon," he said.

The core demand is transparency. "You have to be absolutely transparent about what it was used for," he said. "I would never try to use it to be in front of the story."

'Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die' Arrives at Taormina

"Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" stars Sam Rockwell as a time traveling madman who recruits help to save humanity from artificial intelligence. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival before Briarcliff Entertainment acquired US distribution rights and released it theatrically in February 2026.

Verbinski independently financed the project after running into difficulties with studio backing. The film developed a devoted following despite a modest theatrical run, with Collider naming it one of 2026's cult works.

The director's views on AI are embedded in the film itself, making his Taormina comments an extension of the work rather than a separate statement. He said he wants to make films "purely analog and just tell a movie with no visual effects."

The Loss of Apprenticeship

Verbinski's immediate concern at Taormina was the disappearance of the entry level workforce. "The loss of apprenticeship is a major concern," he said. The tasks AI has displaced, intern duties, assistant responsibilities, trainee assignments, were also how the next generation of craftspeople learned the trade.

That concern is part of a critique he developed publicly before the festival. "Why is AI helping me write a song or tell a story?" he told The Hollywood Reporter in February. "I don't want it to breathe or fuck for me; I want it to solve cancer."

Where He Draws the Line

Verbinski acknowledged that AI has been part of filmmaking for roughly two decades, primarily in technical applications: color grading software, digital sharpening, restoration tools. His opposition targets its expansion into creative roles, specifically writing, story development, and the choices that define a director's voice.

He also draws a line around economic reality. An independent filmmaker who genuinely cannot afford to realize a central creative element has, in his view, grounds to use AI. His objection is to undisclosed use and to AI displacing human creative judgment, not to every application of the technology.

"These are AI's formative years, and we're fucking with it in a way," he told THR. "What is it doing to us, and what are we doing to it?"

A Proposal the Guild Contracts Have Not Made

The DGA four year deal ratified on June 9 requires studios to consult directors before deploying generative AI on the creative elements of a production. That requirement operates inside the production relationship, between employer and director, before release.

It would put AI disclosure in front of audiences rather than keep it inside the production process, and it goes further than any guild agreement currently in place. The Art Directors Guild's formal condemnation of Martin Scorsese's advisory role at Black Forest Labs showed what institutional responses to undisclosed AI adjacency look like. Verbinski is proposing a structure that would make the question visible before a film ever reaches theaters.

Independent filmmakers can access AI video and image generation tools through the AI FILMS Studio video workspace.

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Sources

Variety | The Hollywood Reporter | Deadline