> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hot director changes with ‘Weather’ - URL: https://www.smdp.com/murky-forecast-for-cage-flick/ - Published: 2005-10-28T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T08:04:12.000Z - Author: Dan Dunn - Tags: Entertainment, Santa Monica, #archive-import Hollywood director Gore Verbinski has found satisfaction in mediocrity — at least in what’s been captured in Nicholas Cage’s character in “The Weatherman.” Verbinski, considered one of Hollywood’s most influential directors, grounds himself by jumping from genre to genre. He’s made movies about a mouse, created the famed Budweiser frog commercials and directed star-studded motion pictures with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In the midst of directing both the second and third installments of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” the former punk-rock guitarist has found that “average” just might be the key to success for his first drama, opening this month. Do you think shooting a drama at this point in your career is a risky move? “I think this one is risky emotionally. We didn’t spend a lot of money making it. What’s nice about it is there are no car chases and explosions. You can sit down with actors and take time talking about the film.” How did the film come to you initially? “I sent my agent looking for a drama. I wanted something quiet because I didn’t want to do anything that was big and I felt I was getting further away from directing. It was more like directing traffic and less like directing actors. The job was slipping through my hands.... it was constant triage making the pirate movies. What drew you to this story? “I like the idea of this guy who is trying to control his life and he sums up the weather in these sound bites and he thinks he can approach life the same way. It’s this idea of the struggle against mediocrity in one’s life. The question is ‘when do you realize who you are instead of who you could be?’ There are great people out there and then there are the rest of us.” How do you feel about being called one of the most influential directors? “Yeah, but my dad was a nuclear physicist and I was a musician going to film school. We are not developing the cure for AIDS here, we are just making movies.” Did you ever struggle like Nic Cage’s character, David Spritz? “Being average is horrific for almost everybody. There are times when we feel like everything is plotting against us. I’m interested in challenging myself and learning and growing and trying different things. Without the willingness to fail, you might as well sell real estate.” What was your favorite part of the film? “Getting Michael Caine to explain what a camel-toe is was really fantastic. The work that I am most proud of is the sequence when (Spritz) realizes his father is filet mignon and he is an Egg McMuffin. He finally accepts who is.” What genre would you tackle next? “I would certainly love to do a western.” Who would star in it? “Johnny (Depp) and Nic (Cage).” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 28, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102805.pdf?ref=smdp.com)