Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman attempt to jump start their fading acting careers with a new sequel to WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S. But when they seek out Terry Kiser to reprise his role as "Bernie", a gruesome mishap has them treading curiously familiar ground….

SYNOPSIS:

When we find our protagonists, present day Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman, their lives have not gone according to plan. Sadly, their salad days as Hollywood teen heartthrobs are long gone. McCarthy is a drunken, coked-up shell of his former self, who can’t even keep a gig doing local theater. And Silverman’s seemingly blissful life as a suburban Dad can barely cover his depression over his lost fame and nearly dead career.

After Andrew gets drunk and thrown in jail, Jonathan dutifully bails him out for the umpteenth time, and tries to convince his old friend to join him in pursuing funding to shoot the script he wrote: Weekend at Bernie’s III, which he sees as their ticket back to fame and fortune. Andrew initially refuses, in part because he believes the original movies wrecked his career. But when McCarthy finds himself targeted by a FIXER after a losing a substantial sports bet, he begins to rethink Jonathan’s idea. Silverman secures a pitch meeting with SPIKE JONZE, and McCarthy is in.

Eager to capitalize on Hollywood’s financially lucrative yet creatively barren reboot machine, Spike and cynical Hollywood mega-producer CANNON PORTER set the wheels in motion to make the film, and collect a hefty payday for them all, quality be damned. But first, Andrew and Jonathan must convince one other actor to join the party: “Bernie” himself, Terry Kiser.

Trouble is, Terry is now a born-again Christian, off the grid, living a monastic life on his ranch with the millions he made investing in Google. He turns them down, prompting Andrew to contemplate actually killing him. Instead, Terry convinces Andrew to accept the Lord and they baptize each other. Jonathan shows up just as Andrew appears to be drowning Terry as he dunks him for his baptism. Jonathan tries to stop Andrew by swinging firewood at his head, only to kill Terry… for real this time.

The next morning, they stage a Zoom call with Spike Jonze in an attempt to convince him that the seemingly dead Terry is merely method acting and refusing to break character. Spike immediately sends some friends to visit/check up on them, who turn out to be BRADLEY COOPER and JAMES CORDEN, there to recruit the trio to join them for carpool karaoke on Corden’s show.

However, during the karaoke filming, the cameras catch a moment where Terry’s hand rips completely off his body, putting into question whether he’s alive or not. A leaked tape of the incident goes viral, becoming a national sensation. In the blink of an eye the ranch is surrounded by throngs of police, FBI, reporters, and onlookers, effectively trapping Silverman and McCarthy inside.

Stuck inside the house with little hope of escape, McCarthy and Silverman reflect on their behavior, and how their obsession with fame has ruined their lives. They decide to give themselves up. Silverman goes first and receives the standing ovation from the crowd that he’s longed for, abandoning all contrition for his actions and basking in his newfound fame. A more pensive and regretful McCarthy comes out next, along with Terry’s corpse, to enjoy one last moment in the spotlight with Bernie. However, when a trigger-happy rookie cop squeezes off a round, McCarthy is shot dead in a hail of dramatic slow-mo bullets.

A funeral for McCarthy and Kiser at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery draws worldwide TV coverage and massive crowds, including all of McCarthy and Silverman’s former Brat Pack co-stars. Meanwhile, Silverman looks on at the funeral from jail as he negotiates a contract for the rights to his story.

In a final post-credits scene, QUENTIN TARANTINO calls “Action!” on Scene One, Take One of Weekend at Bernie’s III, starring Bradley Cooper and James Corden, plus famed method actor Daniel Day-Lewis as Bernie.

MAIN CHARACTERS

ANDREW MCCARTHY

This parallel universe version of Andrew McCarthy is nothing like the well-adjusted and successful actor/director/travel writer which Andrew McCarthy is in real life. This is Andrew McCarthy gone off the rails, having become the sad stereotype of the teen star gone wrong, seduced by drugs and booze, bitter and entitled, and unable to cope with his declining fame. However, despite his advancing age and quickly disintegrating moral compass, Andrew still shows flashes of being the boyishly charming, thoughtful, sensitive kid we once knew him as.

JONATHAN SILVERMAN

On the surface, Jonathan Silverman has the life you always imagined he’d have when you first saw him on screen. He’s got a beautiful wife (actress JENNIFER FINNIGAN), two strapping teenage boys, a brand-new German SUV, and a gorgeous suburban home in Pasadena. But despite this seemingly perfect life, Silverman is bored, tired, and depressed. The red-carpet premieres and glamorous parties of Hollywood have been replaced by the mind-numbing boredom of a litany of kids’ soccer games and birthday parties, with a peer group of bland middle management Dads, and a general public who knows they’ve seen him somewhere but can’t quite figure out where.

TERRY KISER

After an unlikely rise to fame playing Bernie Lomax, Terry Kiser at first seemed destined to become yet another casualty of Hollywood excess, enjoying copious amounts of sex, booze and drugs. However, after receiving a vision from God himself, Terry reformed his life and became a devout man of the Lord. After being lucky enough to make many millions by investing in Google, he left Hollywood for life on a ranch, swearing to never return to his old home, lest the demons of sex, drugs and booze sink their claws into him again.

OTHER CHARACTERS

MOLLY RINGWALD

Against the odds, Molly Ringwald has continued to have an artistically and financially successful career well beyond her teen years. She’s well-adjusted, solid, stable, and caring. However, she’s also driven to succeed and will only take so much before moving on.

JENNIFER FINNIGAN

Jennifer, Silverman’s real-life wife, is a former actress who never really wanted to be famous. She wanted to be a Mom. And she loves every second of it, the PTA meetings, the bake sales, the gender reveal parties and all the other events that make Jonathan want to gouge his eyes out. And while Jennifer may love Jonathan, he serves mostly as her financial ticket to this life of upper class suburban mommmyhood. Thus, she wants to keep him in line at all costs.

SPIKE JONZE

Famed director Spike Jonze has achieved everything he could possibly achieve artistically. And yet, his soft-spoken personality, subtle approach and lack of egomaniacal ranting have made him a much lesser name than his personal nemesis: Quentin Tarantino. So, he finds himself these days often sacrificing artistic merit for fame and buzz and box office receipts.

CANNON PORTER

Cannon is every stereotype of a rich, morally bankrupt Hollywood producer. He has more money than God, and a desire to have twice as much money as God. His enormous mansion serves as a 24/7/365 ground zero for decadent drug-fueled partying.

DICK MCNAIR

Many years ago, Hollywood talent agent Dick McNair flirted with what might be generously be called the lower rungs success. However, he is a legend in his own mind, and seems to think his former connections from managing C List actors in the 70’s still carry weight. Braggadocious and brash, McNair has zero fucks to give because he knows he’s a badass, even if no one else does.

THE FIXER

The Fixer is possibly a former KGB agent, and definitely an Eastern European killing machine, who has been a reliable tool of the Russian Mafia for decades in LA and beyond. However, he too has had enough with his existence and would love to get out and live out his remaining years in quiet solitude.

WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S III