Jack Black is reteaming with School of Rock director Richard Linklater for the dark comedy Bernie.
The Hollywood Reporter shares the synopsis:
Set in a small Texas town, the story follows mortician Bernie (Black) who begins an unlikely friendship with a wealthy but very particular widow (MacLaine). When he kills her, he goes to great lengths to maintain the illusion that she is still alive.
I can’t help but think this is a remake of Weekend at Bernie’s. Aside from the strikingly familiar storyline and premise, they seemed to not care that the chosen corpse would be named Bernie. And Shirley McClain will play the corpse.
I wore thin on Jack Black’s comedy stylings a while ago, but something about this seems a good fit. I might just give this a shot.
when does the movie come out!?
Hey guys this is the first time I have ever blogged whatever u call it I am trying to get some footage of a scene that they did in bastrop tx they did a scene at my uncles house in the country on his front porch I was wondering if anybody had that I know it is not out yet but just curious thanks so much if not I will wait to see if it even made the cut lol
Carthage is not a town of idiots. Most of the people wanted to see justice done for Mrs. Nugent. There were some of the “older” people in town that would not believe Bernie was capable of doing this. I live in Carthage, and yes there are some backwoods, rednecks, but your statements about it being a “whole town of idiots” just shows your narrow-minded, generalization. This story was a tragedy.
To Marilyn Harrison. Not everybody wanted him out of prison. It was mostly christian groups. Everbody else wanted him to get what he deserved.
well i love jack black and i think he will be great in this and yeah you guys are overeacting about this who cares i mean its just a bit of fun turning it into an awesome comedy
Some people don’t realize that this is a TRUE story. I’m from Carthage (the small town in the movie) and I can attest to the validity of the movie storyline. My grandmother (Louise LeBlanc) worked with Bernie Tiede at Hawthorn Funeral Home.
He even taught Sunday school at First Methodist Church (while Ms. Nugent was in the deep freeze)!
Read the above over reacting comments.
Its inspired by a true story but this will not be a movie telling that story.
It is a comedy. Nothing that happened to Ms Nugent was comical.
I grew up near Carthage and know this story. The real Bernie shot the real Marjorie Nugent in the back four times and put her in the freezer and proceeded to spend her money, but the movie is not about that. The movie focuses on how this whole town of idiots didn’t want Bernie prosecuted. Even the preacher at his church defended him and what he did. The had to move the trial to another town because nobody in Carthage would convict Bernie. The movie is about how Carthage is a town full of self righteous moronic backwoods hicks who thought it was okay for Bernie to kill Marjorie because she was hateful and nasty and he was so generous with her money. That’s the comedy – the people of Carthage! Not the fact that Bernie murdered Marjorie in cold blood. They all wanted Bernie to go free so they could keep getting the money that he so freely doled out.
And the movie isn’t about that either.
Matthew McConaughey is in this movie I believe.
I am in the town they are filming in.
“Weekend at Bernie’s” was based on this story and “Bernie” will be more specific to the actual facts of the case. Definitely not a remake. That’s about all that can be said right now. Shooting in Texas wraps on Monday.
@ Avenged, it is pretty exciting. I drove past them yesterday at the church on main, and they have been filming and hanging out at chestnut square a lot. I can not wait for this to come out!! @ sophia and everyone else CALM DOWN you were not there when the murder happend and you are not part of the movie, you dont know what it is going to be like so chill.
almost all things produced are based on real life in some way shape or form…………..its being filmed in Bastrop, Smithsville, Austin, Georgetown……it is a movie being made to make money…..they must have liked the idea of what may have happened to somebodys cousin or whatever….but there is no disrespect intended……only seems to be disrespect aimed at the movie idea
they are filming in my town :) i get to watch whats going on, its amazing, i cant wait to see the final project.
If I am ever murdered I give them permission to make comedy movie or any other kind movie about it as long as my kids get the royalty from the movie. Unless my kids are the ones that did me in. :(
I doubt seriously if a loved one of yours had been murdered you would find it humorous. She was my first cousin and it hurts me deeply to think people find it funny and want to make a comedy of it. I pray you never have to know the pain of someone in your family being murdered.
Embarrassment maybe because we did not reach out to her before . And hurtful , yes . However there is dark comedy in all tragedies . A horrible one in this case. She was not a tight wad but a good business woman and her husband was also . Personally they were always thought of as a couple as they were nice to my family and generous with their time . I feel this movie does not have anything to do with their lives and is only a making for a great dark comedy . I am a distance relative and still which I could have saved her from this tragedy . Shirley will be perfect for her role as depicted for this particular part of M’s life . (as seen from strangers point of view )
I freakishly look forward to this movie . eeeeek
I have to agree alc684. Even though some of the facts of this case are surreal, the woman who died is survived by a son and grandchildren. I will reserve judgement until I see it, but this is based on a real person’s death. Bernie murdered her and stuffed her in a freezer. This is NOT weekend at Bernie’s.
And while maybe inspired by that story, I doubt this will play out the same. Jack Black’s character will likely have some reason to fake her still being alive for some other reason. Maybe to make sure her money goes to the rightful people.
The synopsis says he accidentally kills her, while the real story you speak of is a man who murdered her intentionally and hid the proof to steal her money.
I totally agree. This is not a remake of Weekend at Bernie’s. This was a true story of a woman who was murdered & should not be made fun of in no way fashion or form! If they are making a movie then they need to make it where he kills her intentionally not accidentally because that’s what it was … a murder. Show it for what it is.
Or the differences in making it a comedy make it NOT that story and it doesn’t matter.
You are making it an issue when it doesn’t need to be. Who cares if there was a real tragedy that they decided to twist into an unrelated comedy.
Get over it.
This is definitely not a remake of Weekend at Bernie’s. This is a story making fun of the real-life murder of a woman in Carthage, Texas in 1997. Bernie shot her several times in the back and then put Nugent in a freezer and proceeded to spend all her money. Now, this tragic story is being turned into a comedy…that is just gross!
This movie isn’t going to be any more gross than everything else going on in the world. It’s sad the Lady was killed, but……It’s rather comical that the Lady was a tightwad with her money and it got away from her through a mortician from New Orleans and she ended up DEAD! Now you must admit she should have ran like a scalded dog when she found out he was a mortician no less and from New Orleans?????
I haven’t watched “year one” But I have loved everything else jack has done (especially the D!) so I will definitely be checking this out!
After Year one, I’m done with him being on my “must check his shit out” list.
Jack Black is just out to do as many remakes as he can before Hollywood revokes his celebrity card. Isn’t he about to star in a remake of Gulliver’s Travels?
While the plot (and name) sound very familiar to Weekend at Bernies, so far this is not a remake.
And the only other remake he has been in is King Kong.
Unless you count the many “remakes” they did in Be Kind Please Rewind – but that doesn’t count.
I would hardly say that he is “out to do as many remakes as he can” when the last one he did was 5 years ago and one coming out this year.
I actually had a chance to be an extra on this set today much fun had.. this is not at all a remake it is in fact about actual events that occurred in a small Texas town
This is def not a remake. I live in the town where the story came from. It is actually very sad that they are making a comedy out of this. The elderly woman was killed by someone she trusted and he lived off of her money until her friends became suspicious. There is seriously something wrong with anyone that would find any of it funny.
Actually the article says Jack Black is playing Bernie, not Shirley McClain. Even so, I do see your point.