THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2 - The Longer Goodnight - fanfiction, screenplay - STUDIO SUBMISSION PACKAGE

- joulukuuta 07, 2025

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

“Some secrets don’t stay buried. They freeze.”

Logline

Twenty-five years after surviving a suburban life swap with an assassin past, Mitch Hennessy is dragged back into the spy world when a Finnish black-ops program tied to Charly Baltimore resurfaces — forcing him to step up as the hero while the most dangerous woman he ever knew fights to stay out of the spotlight.

Core Creative Vision

Genre: Action-thriller with hard-boiled comedy
Tone: Shane Black winter noir
Rating: R (earned, not gratuitous)
Setting:
- Boston → Helsinki → Northern Finland (Lapland)
Timeline: Present day
Holiday Vibe: Subtle Christmas bleed-through (because Shane Black can’t help himself)

Production Tone & Style

Shane Black DNA

Fast, weaponized dialogue
Characters talking around trauma
Violence is sudden, messy, personal
Humor comes from character exhaustion, not jokes
Men out of their depth; women out of patience

Renny Harlin Easter Eggs (Finland Edition)

Snow-choked roads shot like Die Hard 2
Finnish military aesthetics
Sauna fight scene
Nokia jokes (obsolete but weaponized)
Reindeer — not cute, threatening
A villain monologue interrupted by extreme weather

Visual Language

Cold blues and steel greys
Neon against snow (Helsinki nights)
Long takes that want to be chaotic
Silence broken by explosions

Character Updates

MITCH HENNESSY (Samuel L. Jackson) — LEAD

Now older, broker than ever, and still pissed.

Former private eye turned “consultant” for things no one wants officially solved
Lost a career trying to be decent
Still walking the line between rage and conscience
This time, he doesn’t get to be the sidekick — he gets the consequences

“I didn’t survive a kitchen knife to the chest to die in a parking garage in Helsinki.”

CHARLY BALTIMORE / SAMANTHA CAINE (Geena Davis) — SUPPORTING

Alive. Dangerous. Avoiding headlines.

Living under a controlled identity
Refuses to be “activated”
Has guilt Mitch doesn’t — because she knows how many bodies she left behind
Helps surgically, violently, reluctantly

“I don’t do comebacks. I do exits.”

Main Antagonist

THE WHITE ROOM
A Finnish-born covert NATO-adjacent program that trained off-grid assassins during the Cold War — Charly was their most successful defect.

Now privatized.
Now ruthless.
Now hunting history.

Plot Breakdown

ACT I – THE BODY NEVER COOLED

Mitch is in Boston chasing a low-rent conspiracy
Finds a murdered courier — frozen solid, marked with a Baltic rune
He recognizes the calling card
Reaches out to the last person alive who might know it
→ Charly doesn’t answer

ACT II – SUMMONING THE GHOST

Mitch follows the thread to Finland
Helsinki introduces:
- Corrupt security firms
- Old intelligence officers who “retired” badly
Charly saves Mitch in a brutal snow ambush — no reunion hug, just gunfire
She refuses to re-enter the game
Problem: the game already entered them

ACT III – LAPLAND

Both captured by White Room operatives
Revealed: new assassin protocols use Charly’s psychological profile
She wasn’t the last — she was the template
Mitch breaks free not with skill — but anger and instinct
Sauna escape sequence
Snowmobile chase through Lapland
Frozen lake standoff

ACT IV – THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

Mitch confronts the architect of the program
Charly chooses not to kill — for once
Mitch pulls the trigger
The world doesn’t end
They survive — but differently

Final shot:
Charly disappearing again.
Mitch watching the snow fall.
Christmas lights flicker somewhere too far away to matter.

Why the Lead Shift Works

Mitch was always the moral compass
Now he has to act without Charly doing the heavy lifting
It flips the power dynamic:
- She knows how to fight
- He knows why to fight
Aging action heroes done right

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

Screenplay – First Expanded Draft

Written by: (Kalifornia Jani - Jani Apukka)
**In the style of Shane Black_
**Based on characters created by Shane Black_

FADE IN:

ACT I — “THE SNOW REMEMBERS”

EXT. BOSTON – SOUTHIE BACK STREET – NIGHT

Wind cuts like broken glass.

A MAN (30s) runs through filthy snow. He’s bleeding, scared, clutching something small.

He ducks behind a dumpster.

A SHADOW approaches.

MAN
I did what you said—

A suppressed GUNSHOT.

The man collapses.

His hand opens.

A USB DRIVE drops into the snow. Etched with a NORDIC SIGIL — minimal, chilling.

Snow covers the body.

Hard cut.

INT. DIVE BAR – NIGHT

Low ceiling. Flickering Christmas lights that lost hope years ago.

MITCH HENNESSY, 60s, sits alone with whiskey and regret.

Same Mitch — older package, same fury under the hood.

TV babbles about geopolitical nonsense.

Bartender slides him a refill without asking.

BARTENDER
You want the good news or the bill?

MITCH
Surprise me.

Mitch’s phone buzzes.

A TEXT PHOTO.

Dead man. USB. The sigil.

Mitch doesn’t blink. Just exhales.

MITCH (to himself)
Son. Of. A bitch.

INT. MITCH’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Ceiling stain still looks like Nixon.

Mitch pulls dusty files. Old surveillance photos. Names crossed out.

He stops at one.

CHARLY BALTIMORE / SAMANTHA CAINE

He stares.

Dials a number.

RING… RING…

CHARLY (V.O.)
Don’t leave a message.

Click.

Mitch lowers the phone.

MITCH
Guess that’s a no.

EXT. PARKING GARAGE – NIGHT

Concrete hell. Sodium lights buzz.

Mitch nears his car.

A MAN steps from the shadows. Calm. Nordic accent.

MAN
Mr. Hennessy. You should stop digging.

Gun up.

Mitch sighs.

MITCH
I really miss the days when people just sued me.

SHOT—

But Mitch moves. The bullet grazes.

A SECOND ASSAILANT fires.

Suddenly—

A THIRD GUNSHOT.

The second assailant drops.

Another shot — first man down.

Silence.

Mitch turns.

CHARLY stands behind him. Hood up. Older. Sharper. No wasted motion.

CHARLY
You still walk like you want to be followed.

Beat.

MITCH
I knew heaven wouldn’t take me.

ACT II — “THE THINGS YOU CAN’T OUTRUN”

INT. MOVING CAR – NIGHT

Charly drives like she owns gravity.

Mitch presses gauze to his arm.

MITCH
You always show up after the bad part.

CHARLY
I prefer efficiency.

MITCH
You disappear for twenty-five years, then pop in like a tax audit.

She ignores him.

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – NIGHT

Sparse. European. Cold.

Weapons laid out neatly.

CHARLY
They’re White Room.

Mitch stiffens.

MITCH
Nope. Hate that phrase. Sounds like a therapy thing.

She points to the sigil on the USB.

CHARLY
Finland. Cold War. Sleeper assassins.
No flags. No files. No mistakes.

MITCH
And you?

She pauses.

CHARLY
I was the mistake.

EXT. HELSINKI – NIGHT

Snowy beauty. Harbor lights. Cold prestige.

TEXT: HELSINKI, FINLAND

INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

Mitch stares out the window.

MITCH
Every country looks classy till they punch you.

Charly loads mags.

Glass SHATTERS.

GUNFIRE erupts.

Fully staged action — tactical, vicious.

Charly is terrifyingly calm.

Mitch barely survives.

EXT. HELSINKI STREETS – NIGHT

High-speed foot chase across ice-slick streets.

Finnish police sirens — useless.

Mitch slips, fires blindly.

Charly disables an attacker with clinical precision.

She doesn’t finish him.

MITCH
That’s new.

CHARLY
It’s called mercy. I don’t recommend it.

ACT III — “THE WHITE ROOM”

EXT. LAPLAND – DAY

Endless white.

A BLACK SITE half buried in snow.

INT. WHITE ROOM FACILITY – DAY

Sterile. Soulless.

THE ARCHITECT, 60s, serene horror.

ARCHITECT
We adapted you, Charly.
Your instincts. Your fractures.

Mitch is dragged in.

MITCH
This guy talk like a Bond villain to everyone?

INT. HOLDING CELL – LATER

Cold steel.

MITCH
If you go back to being scary, now’s a good time.

CHARLY
I don’t want to be that person.

MITCH
Then let me be worse.

She studies him.

Nods.

EXT. SAUNA BUILDING – NIGHT

Steam explodes.

Brutal fight — fists, wood, fire.

Harlin-style chaos.

Mitch fights like a man who refuses to die out of spite.

EXT. FROZEN LAKE – NIGHT

Howling wind. Icy nothingness.

Final confrontation.

The Architect faces Mitch.

ARCHITECT
You are irrelevant.

Mitch shoots him.

No speech.

Just necessity.

ACT IV — “THE LONGER GOODNIGHT”

EXT. CABIN – DAWN

Smoke rises.

Charly packs.

MITCH
So this is goodbye.

CHARLY
It always was.

A beat.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
You should stop parking in the open.

She’s gone.

EXT. SMALL FINNISH TOWN – MORNING

Christmas lights. Quiet joy.

Mitch walks alone.

Phone buzzes.

TEXT MESSAGE.

UNKNOWN NUMBER:
Some habits die hard.

Mitch smiles — just barely.

FADE OUT.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2:
“THE LONGER GOODNIGHT”
A Shane-Black-At-Christmas–style fan sequel

LOGLINE

Years after surviving a government black-ops conspiracy, washed-up PI Mitch Henessey stumbles onto a Christmas Eve plot involving a bio-weapon, a snowy Finnish tech enclave, and his old partner Charly Baltimore—who’s spent years trying to bury Samantha Caine. To stop a holiday massacre and finally choose who she really is, Charly must team with a newly competent Mitch, whose bad luck still arrives like clockwork.

TONE & STYLE (SHANE BLACK CHRISTMAS VIBE)

Seasonal backdrop: Christmas everywhere—decorations, carols, seasonal depression. Violence punctuated by twinkle lights and sarcastic commentary about consumerism.
Dialogue: Fast, profane, self-aware. Jokes in the middle of gunfights.
Violence: Brutal but fun, with sight gags and painful slapstick.
Heart: Mitch as the emotional core. Charly/Samantha’s identity crisis is quieter, sadder.
Finland Easter Eggs: Helsinki setting, sauna gags, hockey jokes, Renny Harlin nods, Santa tourism, “sisu” references, background TVs playing Finnish films.

MAIN CHARACTERS & CASTING OVERLAYS

MITCH HENESSEY – Samuel L. Jackson
Once a loser PI, now marginally successful, mid-level famous after a ghostwritten “true crime” book. Still runs his mouth. More capable than he lets on, but aging and feeling it.
CHARLY BALTIMORE / SAMANTHA CAINE – Geena Davis
Former assassin turned mom and teacher. Kids mostly grown. Tries hard to live as Samantha, but the Charly part never died—she just got really bored.

NEW SUPPORTING CAST (WITH CASTING)

DR. ELINA KOSKINEN – 40s, Finnish biosecurity expert, dry wit.
- Casting overlay: Noomi Rapace or Pihla Viitala
  Serious, principled, moonlighting for a shady think-tank that’s actually a front.
KALEVI “KAL” NURMI – 30s, Finnish-American security contractor.
- Casting overlay: Alexander Skarsgård (yes, Swedish, joke about it) or Sam Claflin
  Charming, lethal, “nice guy” villain. Loves Christmas, hates bureaucracy.
AGENT NATALIE BISHOP – 30s, sharp, US liaison to Finnish authorities.
- Casting overlay: Gugu Mbatha-Raw or Rebecca Ferguson
  Looks like an ally, stuck between agencies, hiding her own agenda.
MARTTI VIRTANEN – 50s-60s, Finnish billionaire tech CEO.
- Casting overlay: Mads Mikkelsen or Ville Haapasalo
  Public philanthropist, private monster. Funding a “smart city” in Lapland with a dark purpose.
CAITLIN CAINE – 20s, Charly’s daughter (the kid from the first film, grown up).
- Casting overlay: Kiernan Shipka or Sophia Lillis
  Smart, sarcastic, inherited some of mom’s skills without the training.
“RENNY” – Easter egg: Finnish TV news anchor / airport PA voice.
- Casting overlay: Renny Harlin cameo.

STORY OUTLINE – 3 ACTS (CONDENSED “FULL SCRIPT” BLUEPRINT)

ACT I – GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

OPENING – HELSINKI, NIGHT, CHRISTMAS MARKET
- POV: Bodycam on a tactical unit chasing a hacker through snowy alleys.
- Hacker is about to leak files on a secret bio-weapon program called NIGHT REINDEER.
- They’re cut down by a black-ops team led by KAL NURMI. Hard, efficient, in a Santa beanie.
- The data is partially uploaded before he kills the hacker: an encrypted packet is sent… to a name he recognizes: “Baltimore, C.”
MITCH INTRO – LOS ANGELES, DAY
- Mitch on a trashy talk show plugging his book “I’m Not Dead… I Just Smell Funny.”
- He spins the events of TLKG into half-truth myth.
- Backstage, he’s broke, arguing with his ex, his agent, and the IRS on three phones.
- A weird, encrypted email hits his phone—subject line: “I remember” with a data key and old-photo attachment of Charly.
SAMANTHA / CHARLY INTRO – UPSTATE NEW YORK, SNOWY SUBURB
- Samantha teaching at a school Christmas pageant rehearsal.
- Caitlin (now college-age) is visiting, rolling her eyes at everything.
- Samantha is “normal” but little reflexive tics show Charly is under the surface (knife skills in kitchen, noticing exits, etc).
- Night: Samantha opens a Christmas box in the attic—old pistols, a wig, a knife. She almost throws it away… doesn’t.
INCITING INCIDENT
- Mitch calls Samantha. Banter:
  - She’s annoyed he’s cashing in on “their thing.”
  - He shows her the email and the attachment.
- The email references a Finnish facility where “the work we stopped has moved.”
- Samantha wants to hang up; then someone shoots through her window.
- House attack: silent, professional killers.
- Samantha shifts into Charly for the first time in years—brutal, efficient defense.
- Caitlin sees “who mom really is” for the first time.
SETUP FOR FINLAND
- The attackers carry NATO-forged ID badges tied to a “joint bio-defense” operation.
- Mitch traces the data key—has a contact in Helsinki.
- Caitlin insists on coming. Samantha refuses… loses.
- Christmas song over travel montage: States → Helsinki.

ACT II – FINLAND, FIRE, AND SANTA

ARRIVAL IN HELSINKI
- Snowy, cold, beautiful. Tourist Santa village ads everywhere.
- Mitch hates the cold; Samantha/Charly loves the tactical advantages.
- They meet DR. ELINA KOSKINEN, who received the other half of the hacked data.
- Elina explains NIGHT REINDEER: a viral vector that can be “switched on” by a carrier signal. Delivery method unknown.
INTRO MARTTI & KAL
- Press conference: MARTTI VIRTANEN announces his “Smart Lapland” Christmas showcase—drones, 5G, AI, etc. Big event on Christmas Eve.
- Mitch spots KAL running security. Exchange of looks—“this guy’s not local mall cop.”
FIRST HEIST / BREAK-IN
- Charly proposes hitting a supposed bio-lab—Elina is horrified, Mitch is reluctantly in.
- They infiltrate a sleek Nordic research center with glass, snow, and ironic Christmas music.
- Inside: the lab is mostly empty—moved.
- They do find:
  - A test rig connected to consumer drones.
  - Host cages, all empty.
  - A schedule pointing to “Korvatunturi Demo – 24.12” (Lapland “home of Santa”).
- Alarm trip → escape sequence on icy rooftop, sliding on their asses, Mitch screaming.
AGENT NATALIE BISHOP
- The team is picked up by NATALIE, official US liaison, who “saves” them from Finnish police.
- She’s smooth, skeptical, and entirely too polite around Charly, which is suspicious.
- She claims she’s been tracking NIGHT REINDEER too and wants to help.
MIDPOINT – CHRISTMAS PARTY AMBUSH

Martti’s corporate Christmas party in a glass skyscraper.
Our crew infiltrates in ugly Christmas sweaters.
Mitch tries to blend in and instead ends up in a karaoke contest.
Charly confronts Martti, who reveals:
- NIGHT REINDEER is embedded in a popular gift drone toy distributed worldwide as a “Santa delivery drone.”
- The activation signal will be broadcast from Lapland during a global live-streamed “Santa flight test.”
Kal’s men attack; windows blow out; people and Christmas trees go flying.
Charly and Kal face off; he recognizes her from old files as “government’s favorite rabid dog.”
They escape, but Elina is grabbed.

CRISIS OF IDENTITY

Safehouse: a cramped sauna cabin.
Samantha and Caitlin argue—Caitlin accuses her of lying their entire life.
Mitch calls her “Charly” and gets shut down.
Samantha tries to cling to “I’m a teacher, not a weapon.”
Mitch: “I know a bullshit story when I hear one. I’ve been selling mine for twenty years.”

NATALIE’S TURN

Natalie secretly meets Kal. She’s passing intel in exchange for a promised “containment plan.”
She believes NIGHT REINDEER can be used once, surgically, to “reset geopolitics” by taking out a single city.
Kal has no intention of keeping it limited.

ROAD TRIP TO LAPLAND

Train/bus/van through mountains.
Mitch narrates a Christmas story in voiceover that turns into a rant about airlines and geopolitics.
Finland Easter eggs: mobiles full of Marimekko, Kaurismäki films, hockey fans singing, a sight gag with someone watching Cliffhanger or Die Hard 2 dubbed in Finnish.

PRE-CLIMAX SETUP – SANTA TOWN

The Santa tourism village at Korvatunturi: cutesy, creepy, full of drones dressed like reindeer.
They scout the heavily militarized “event stage,” hidden under holiday décor.
Elina is on-site, forced to run a control center.
If signal goes out, drones release aerosolized agent over cities worldwide during “deliveries.”

ACT III – THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

INFILTRATION

Charly shaves the blonde streak back in, visually becoming Charly again.
Mitch: “You know that’s not how spycraft works, right? You don’t get a superpower from hair dye.”
Caitlin, much to Samantha’s dismay, proves good at social engineering and lock bypasses.
They split:
- Charly & Caitlin → stage and control tower.
- Mitch & Elina (once freed) → server rooms to sabotage signal.

DOUBLE-CROSS REVEALED

Natalie captures Mitch and Elina in the server bay.
She reveals she’s not working for Kal exactly—she’s working for a rogue element in the US gov that wants control of the virus.
“We didn’t build the world. We just decide who gets to keep it.”
Mitch distracts her with a rambling story, buys Elina just enough time to reroute some control systems.

KAL VS. CHARLY

Kal confronts Charly on the snowy rooftop overlooking the Santa stage, drones warming up.
Their fight is brutal, close-quarters, Christmas lights snapping around them.
Kal taunts her: “You were born for this. So was I. Difference is, I stopped pretending.”
Charly: “I didn’t. I just got bored of being a monster.”

THE CHOICE

Elina discovers the agent has been quietly seeded in several cities’ water supplies—no way to contain it all.
The only way to prevent catastrophe is to trigger a localized test detonation there, killing everyone in the Santa village, including them, but saving millions.
Mitch gets the info and has to tell Charly over comms mid-fight.
Moral dilemma: sacrifice a thousand, including themselves, to save millions.

MITCH’S HERO MOMENT

Mitch, the guy who always talked a big game, volunteers to stay behind and manually trigger the overload if the remote fails.
“Whole life I’ve been the joke in the story. Time someone else got the punchline.”
He sends Charly and Caitlin to evacuate as many tourists as possible before the “accident.”

CLIMAX – CHAOS IN SANTA TOWN

Charly and Caitlin drive a Santa sleigh (with a truck engine) through crowds, yelling evacuation in broken Finnish.
Kal survives their fight, comes for Mitch in the server bay.
Fistfight among humming servers and blinking Christmas lights.
Mitch, badly hurt, manages to chain Kal to the core tower with a string of Christmas lights (of course) and arms the overload.
He’s stuck in there with him.
Charly has to choose whether to go drag Mitch out and risk global catastrophe or let him be the hero.
She starts back… Mitch yells into the comm, furious: “Don’t you dare ruin my goddamn arc, woman!”

RESOLUTION OF CLIMAX

Elina’s hack plus Mitch’s manual trigger cause a contained meltdown: drones drop from sky, some explode; a localized EMP fries systems.
The viral agent is incinerated in a contained blast beneath the facility.
Massive destruction, but largely limited to the heavily secured event infrastructure.
Tourists think it’s a terrifying “stunt” gone wrong; authorities cover it up as an industrial accident.

DENOUEMENT – WHO SURVIVED?

Weeks later, Helsinki hospital.
Mitch survived—barely. Kal did not (body in a morgue drawer with a Santa hat gag).
Mitch milks the moment, wrapped in bandages, complaining about the food.
Natalie is arrested by Finnish security and US investigators—hint that some higher-ups will skate.

CHARLY / SAMANTHA’S CHOICE

Samantha returns home but doesn’t put the box back in the attic. She keeps one gun, one knife… and a Christmas ornament from Finland.
She admits to Caitlin: “Charly isn’t gone. She’s… on call.”
Mitch, now genuinely heroic, turns down a ridiculous Hollywood adaptation of his book.
“You can’t improve on the original,” he says, then winks at camera.

FINAL BUTTON

Christmas morning. Samantha, Caitlin, and Mitch (visiting) open gifts.
Caitlin’s gift to Mitch: a tacky Santa in a trenchcoat holding a tiny pistol.
Mitch: “You people… you really don’t know when to quit.”
They toast with eggnog.
Outside, a drone toy buzzes by… then falls harmlessly into a snowbank, inert.
Fade out on Christmas lights reflected in Samantha’s eyes—half Charly, half Sam.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2: THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

FULL 120-PAGE DRAFT (PAGE-LOCKED)

Genre: Action Thriller
Tone: Shane Black Christmas Noir
Setting: USA → Helsinki → Lapland
Rating: R

PAGE MAP (LOCKED)

Act I: Pages 1–30
Act II-A: Pages 31–60
Midpoint: Pages 61–65
Act II-B: Pages 66–90
Act III: Pages 91–120

ACT I (PAGES 1–30)

Ghosts, Christmas lights, and old wounds reopening

PAGE 1

EXT. HELSINKI – OLD TOWN ALLEY – NIGHT

Snow. Christmas lights. BODYCAM POV.

HACKER runs, bullets snap, data uploads.

KAL NURMI steps in, Santa beanie.

KAL
Never open your presents early.

Gunshot. The BODYCAM hits snow.

FREEZE FRAME ON:
UPLOAD COMPLETE: 51% — SENT TO: BALTIMORE, C.

CUT TO BLACK.

PAGES 2–4

INT. DAYTIME TALK SHOW – LOS ANGELES – DAY

Mitch on a couch, selling his book.

Dialogue-heavy Shane Black banter, Mitch self-deprecation.

MITCH
I survived a government conspiracy, got shot, stabbed, set on fire — and the IRS still found me.

Applause.

BACKSTAGE — Mitch checks his phone.

Email subject line: “I REMEMBER.”

Photo attachment: CHARY BALTIMORE (classified).

Mitch pales.

PAGES 5–7

INT. MITCH’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Mitch studies the data. Phone rings.

SAMANTHA / CHARLY (V.O.)
You have ninety seconds.

MITCH
You always greet people like Dracula.

They spar verbally — warm, bitter, familiar.

Mitch mentions Finland.

Click. Line dead.

PAGES 8–12

INT. SAMANTHA’S HOUSE – UPSTATE NY – NIGHT

Christmas decorations.

Phone still in Sam’s hand.

Window EXPLODES.

Home invasion.

SAMANTHA becomes CHARLY mid-scene — ruthless efficiency.

CAITLIN sees everything.

Silence after.

CAITLIN
…Who are you?

PAGES 13–16

EXT. HOUSE – NIGHT

Police lights. Ambulance.

Mitch’s voice on speaker.

MITCH (V.O.)
Please tell me nobody’s dead. I’m running out of apologies.

Sam realizes this isn’t over.

PAGES 17–20

INT. PLANE – NIGHT

Travel montage. Christmas music ironized.

Sam, Mitch, Caitlin fly to Finland.

Dialogue about age, regret, and “not wanting this.”

PAGES 21–25

EXT. HELSINKI – NIGHT

Arrival. Snow. Neon.

They meet DR. ELINA KOSKINEN.

Night Reindeer explained.

ELINA
You were part of the original neural model.

Sam freezes.

PAGES 26–30

INT. HOTEL – NIGHT

Assassination attempt.

Gunfight.

Mitch barely survives.

Final beat of Act I:

MITCH
I officially request a country without snow and murder.

Gun cocks behind him.

CUT TO BLACK.

ACT II-A (PAGES 31–60)

The conspiracy grows teeth

PAGES 31–38

HELSINKI ACTION SEQUENCE

Rooftop chases
Frozen streets
Sauna fight (Harlin homage)

Kal revealed as antagonist.

KAL
You expire beautifully, Charly Baltimore.

PAGES 39–45

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – NIGHT

Sam vs Mitch argument.

Sam wants out.

Mitch pushes back.

MITCH
You don’t quit ghosts by pretending they’re decor.

Caitlin eavesdrops.

PAGES 46–50

INTRO AGENT NATALIE BISHOP

Diplomatic, helpful, clearly lying.

She “protects” them.

Elina uneasy.

PAGES 51–55

CORPORATE CHRISTMAS PARTY – NIGHT

Martti Virtanen reveal.

Night Reindeer delivery system = SANTA DRONES.

Party becomes massacre.

Glass, blood, ornaments.

PAGES 56–60

ESCAPE SEQUENCE

Elina is kidnapped.

Files recovered point to KORVATUNTURI – LAPLAND.

Sam looks at her reflection.

SAMANTHA
I can’t keep pretending.

MIDPOINT (PAGES 61–65)

The choice is exposed

PAGES 61–63

TRAIN TO LAPLAND

Quiet. Heavy.

Mitch Christmas monologue turns somber.

MITCH
Every year I say I’ll do better.
Year answers back: define “better.”

PAGES 64–65

EXT. LAPLAND – DAY

Santa village under military overlay.

Drones prep for livestream.

Sam dyes hair. Becomes CHARY fully.

MIDPOINT IMAGE:
Santa drones lifting like angels made of knives.

ACT II-B (PAGES 66–90)

Everyone chooses who they really are

PAGES 66–72

INFILTRATION

Split teams:

Sam/Caitlin → control tower
Mitch → servers

Caitlin proves competent.

Sam terrified of what she taught without trying.

PAGES 73–77

NATALIE REVEALED

Natalie confronts Mitch.

Truth: controlled activation plan.

NATALIE
One city to save ten. That’s called leadership.

PAGES 78–82

KAL VS CHARLY – FIRST ROUND

Brutal fight.

Kal wins psychologically.

KAL
You don’t get redemption. Just retirement or a grave.

PAGES 83–90

THE HORRIBLE MATH

Elina frees herself.

Reveal: Virus already seeded.

Only solution = overload core + destroy facility.

Someone must stay.

Mitch volunteers.

MITCH
Someone’s gotta finally take responsibility for me.

ACT III (PAGES 91–120)

The longer goodnight

PAGES 91–97

EVACUATION CHAOS

Sam leads frantic evacuation.

Caitlin saves kids.

Christmas over loudspeakers as panic spreads.

PAGES 98–104

FINAL KAL FIGHT

Server bay.

Mitch vs Kal.

Ugly. Sloppy. Personal.

Mitch chains Kal to core.

PAGES 105–108

THE CHOICE

Sam races back.

Mitch screams over comm.

MITCH
Don’t you dare steal my ending.

She stops.

PAGES 109–112

OVERLOAD

Explosion contained.

Drones fall from sky.

EMP wave.

Silence.

PAGES 113–116

HOSPITAL – HELSINKI

Mitch alive. Barely.

Sam at bedside.

CHARLY
You’re impossible.

MITCH
Yeah. Put it on the poster.

Natalie arrested.

PAGES 117–119

CHRISTMAS MORNING – UPSTATE NY

Quiet. Warm. Scarred.

Sam keeps one gun.

Caitlin hugs her.

Mitch crashes the holiday.

PAGE 120

FINAL IMAGE

Toy Santa drone buzzes… dies in snow.

Sam watches.

Half smile.

CUT TO BLACK.

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

✅ STUDIO SUBMISSION PACKAGE

(This section is complete and final)

TITLE PAGE

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2
Subtitle: THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

Written by:
[Kalifornia Jani - Jani Apukka]

Based on characters created by:
Shane Black

Genre:
Action Thriller / Noir

Tone:
R-rated Shane Black Christmas action

Setting:
United States / Helsinki / Lapland, Finland

Target Rating:
R

ONE-PAGE SYNOPSIS

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2: THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

Twenty-five years after surviving a Cold War black-ops conspiracy, former private investigator Mitch Hennessey has parlayed his near-death experience into a minor celebrity career: a cynical tell-all book, low-rent talk show appearances, and barely controlled bitterness. Just as Mitch believes his past is finally behind him, a cryptic message tied to a classified Finnish operation resurfaces — bearing the unmistakable signature of Charly Baltimore, the assassin once known as Samantha Caine.

Charly, long retired and living quietly as Samantha with her now-grown daughter Caitlin, is forced back into the shadows when her home is attacked by professional operatives. The intrusion exposes a long-buried truth: her former handlers didn’t disappear — they evolved. A covert bio-weapons initiative known as NIGHT REINDEER, originally modeled on Charly’s psychological conditioning, has been revived as a privatized black-ops program.

Following the trail to Finland, Mitch and Charly uncover a terrifying plan: a viral payload hidden inside consumer delivery drones scheduled for a global Christmas Eve demonstration in Lapland — the “home of Santa Claus.” The activation would trigger mass casualties worldwide under the guise of a holiday spectacle.

As the conspiracy deepens, Charly struggles with the identity she’s spent decades suppressing, while Mitch, once the loudmouthed sidekick, finds himself thrust into the role of moral center and unlikely hero. Betrayals fracture alliances, forcing Mitch to confront the kind of man he’s always pretended not to be.

In a final stand amid snowstorms and Christmas lights, Mitch makes the ultimate sacrifice play to stop the weapon — forcing Charly to choose between saving the man who grounds her humanity or saving millions of strangers. The fallout leaves the world intact, but irreversibly changed.

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT is a hard-edged, darkly funny, winter-set action thriller about aging heroes, unfinished business, and what it really costs to pull the trigger one last time.

TONE & DIRECTOR’S MEMO (SHANE BLACK STYLE)

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT is written in the tradition of Shane Black’s best work: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and The Nice Guys — blending hard violence, emotional reckoning, and profane humor into a holiday-set thriller that feels both nostalgic and painfully current.

Tone Anchors

Christmas as emotional irony: warmth and brutality exist side by side
Comedy from exhaustion, not slapstick
Violence is sudden, ugly, and personal
Dialogue overlaps, weaponizes sarcasm, and undercuts sentimentality

Character Perspective

This sequel shifts the protagonist role to Mitch Hennessey, allowing the audience to experience the spy world through a man who was never meant to survive it — let alone lead.
Charly Baltimore remains a force of nature, but here she is defined not by her lethality, but by restraint.

Physical Aesthetic

Cold blues, steel grays, bright Christmas reds
Snow-covered urban noir
Finland-specific textures: modern minimalism, brutalist architecture, stark wilderness
Subtle Renny Harlin Easter eggs in staging and set-pieces

Thematic Spine

This is not a movie about saving the world.
It’s about deciding who pays the price when the world needs saving.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

PART I — PAGES 1–30

FADE IN:

EXT. HELSINKI – OLD TOWN ALLEY – NIGHT

Snow falls sideways under strings of CHEAP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS sagging between ancient stone buildings.

We are in BODYCAM POV, unstable and breathless.

A HACKER (30s), Nordic, terrified, RUNS hard, boots slipping on ice.

SHADOWS chase him.

Finnish voices bark orders we don’t understand.

The Hacker ducks into a narrow alley. Tries to steady his hands.

He pulls a SMALL DATA DRIVE from his coat. Plugs it into a phone.

On-screen code scrolls.

STATUS: UPLOADING… 23%… 31%…

The Hacker hears footsteps. He panics, types faster.

He glances up—

A MAN steps into frame.

KALEVI “KAL” NURMI (late 30s), handsome, calm, wearing a black tactical coat and a RED SANTA BEANIE slightly too small for his head.

Kal smiles like this is an inconvenience.

KAL
(in English, gentle)
You should’ve waited until Christmas morning.

The Hacker pulls a pistol. Kal SHOOTS him mid-motion.

The Hacker crashes into the snow.

The BODYCAM spins wildly.

Kal approaches, kneels.

The upload ticks:

49%… 50%…

A NAME flashes on-screen:

RECIPIENT: BALTIMORE, C.

Kal tilts his head.

KAL
Huh. Still breathing.

The upload reaches:

51%. TRANSMISSION SENT.

Kal calmly puts two more rounds into the Hacker.

The BODYCAM falls sideways into snow.

Kal stands, turns to his team.

KAL (CONT’D)
Clean it. Christmas weather hides everything.

Someone switches off the bodycam feed.

CUT TO BLACK.

INT. DAYTIME TALK SHOW – LOS ANGELES – DAY

Bright. Loud. Fake festive decorations everywhere.

A TALK SHOW HOST sits across from MITCH HENNESSEY (early 60s) — older, heavier, eyes still razor sharp. The suit fits like it was bought under protest.

The audience APPLAUDS.

HOST
So you’re telling us this really happened? Government conspiracy, gunfights, assassins?

MITCH
I’m telling you the government tried to kill me, failed, and now I’m obligated to pay taxes. So yeah. Big win for democracy.

Laughter.

HOST
Your book is called I’m Not Dead… I Just Smell Funny.

MITCH
That was the publisher. I wanted How the Hell Am I Still Paying Rent.

Applause.

HOST
And this woman you write about — this incredible assassin — any chance we’ll ever hear from her?

Mitch leans back, studies the crowd.

MITCH
Nah. She’s smarter than me. Which statistically isn’t a challenge.

Audience laughs again.

The producer makes a wind-down gesture.

HOST
Mitch Hennessey, everybody!

APPLAUSE.

Mitch waves awkwardly.

INT. TALK SHOW BACKSTAGE – CONTINUOUS

The applause fades into echoes.

Mitch’s smile drops the second he rounds the corner.

A PA hands him a cheap paper cup.

PA
Coffee. It’s… festive?

Mitch tastes it. Grimaces.

MITCH
This tastes like regret with cinnamon.

As the PA hurries off, Mitch’s PHONE BUZZES.

He checks it.

An EMAIL notification.

Unknown sender.

Subject line: I REMEMBER.

Mitch frowns. Opens it.

ATTACHMENT loads—

A grainy BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTO:

CHARLY BALTIMORE, mid-30s, gun raised, blood on her cheek, eyes cold as murder.

Mitch stiffens.

Below the photo, text:

They moved it.
Same work. New country.
If you’re still alive, she is too.

Another line appears automatically underneath:

ATTACHMENT: NIGHT_REINDEER.KEY

Mitch stares at the screen for a long time.

MITCH
Aw hell… Santa, you bastard.

INT. MITCH’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

Small. Lived-in. Sad Christmas lights taped up without commitment.

Mitch sits at his desk, laptop open, files scattered everywhere.

The data key decrypts — slowly.

Maps. Finnish locations. Encrypted jargon.

Mitch rubs his face.

Phone in hand.

He hesitates.

Dials.

RING…

CLICK.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
You have ninety seconds.

Mitch smiles despite himself.

MITCH
That’s still your greeting?

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
You ever call me with good news?

MITCH
Depends what you consider good. You alive?

Silence. A breath.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
Barely. Why?

MITCH
Because someone in Finland just emailed me your old headshot like it’s a Christmas card.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
We don’t say that name.

MITCH
What, “Finland”? Didn’t think you had beef with geography.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
Charly.

Mitch softens.

MITCH
Okay. Fair.

Beat.

MITCH (CONT’D)
They’re running something out of Lapland. Cold War program. Looks like they dusted off your greatest hits.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
I’m not that person anymore.

MITCH
Neither am I. Still got a book deal somehow.

A pause. Tension.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
You should walk away, Mitch.

MITCH
I would, but apparently my life story refuses to stay dead.

A SOUND in the background. Subtle.

Glass cracking.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
…I have to go.

Line goes dead.

Mitch stares at the phone.

MITCH
Well. That felt healthy.

INT. SAMANTHA’S HOUSE – UPSTATE NEW YORK – NIGHT

Warm. Suburban. CHRISTMAS TREE half-decorated.

SAMANTHA CAINE (mid-50s) stands frozen in the kitchen, phone still in hand.

A HAIRLINE CRACK spreads across the window.

She moves—

The WINDOW EXPLODES.

Glass sprays across the kitchen.

Two SILENCED SHOTS rip through the room.

Samantha drops instinctively to the floor — not panic, pure training.

She rolls behind the island.

Another SHOT punches through a cabinet.

Samantha’s eyes go cold.

CHARLY wakes up.

She yanks open a drawer — grabs a KITCHEN KNIFE.

FOOTSTEPS approach.

A FIGURE climbs through the shattered window, weapon raised.

Charly SLAMS a stool into the intruder’s knee.

Knife into the thigh.

He SCREAMS.

She spins him, using him as a shield.

A SECOND SHOOTER fires — hits his own man.

Charly doesn’t hesitate.

She shoots back — clean — efficient — final.

Silence.

Blood drips.

At the top of the stairs—

CAITLIN CAINE (early 20s), frozen in pajamas.

CAITLIN
Mom…?

Charly looks at her daughter.

For a moment, she doesn’t know who she is.

Then—

CHARLY
Go to your room. Lock the door.

CAITLIN
What—

CHARLY
NOW.

Caitlin bolts.

Charly checks the bodies. Professional.

Outside, SIRENS begin.

Charly exhales.

Samantha takes control again.

Too late.

EXT. SAMANTHA’S HOUSE – NIGHT

Police cars. Ambulance lights.

Snow falling like nothing matters.

Samantha sits wrapped in a blanket.

Caitlin beside her, shaking.

Samantha’s phone BUZZES.

Mitch’s name.

She answers.

MITCH (V.O.)
Please tell me nobody’s dead.

Samantha looks at the stretcher being loaded.

SAMANTHA
Two men tried to kill me.

MITCH (V.O.)
Okay. But other than that.

She almost laughs. Almost.

INT. PLANE – NIGHT

Long-haul flight.

Mitch in coach, miserable.

Samantha by the window. Caitlin between them.

Snow-covered runways visible below.

CAITLIN
So… you’re spies?

MITCH
Whoa. I’m a private investigator with moderate cardio issues.

Samantha glares.

SAMANTHA
We’re not spies.

CAITLIN
Those guys didn’t look like burglars.

Mitch shrugs.

MITCH
Some people really hate seasonal decorations.

Turbulence hits.

Caitlin grips the armrest.

CAITLIN
Where are we going?

Samantha stares out at clouds.

SAMANTHA
Finland.

CAITLIN
…Is that near Canada?

MITCH
Emotionally, yes.

EXT. HELSINKI AIRPORT – NIGHT

Cold. Modern. Bright Christmas displays.

The trio exits baggage claim.

Breath fogs instantly.

MITCH
This place feels like it wants me to apologize for existing.

A WOMAN approaches — sharp, composed.

DR. ELINA KOSKINEN (40s).

ELINA
Mr. Hennessey. Samantha Caine.

She looks at Samantha — knowingly.

ELINA (CONT’D)
Or should I say Charly Baltimore.

Samantha stiffens.

SAMANTHA
You shouldn’t.

ELINA
I’m afraid that ship crashed… violently… and took several programs with it.

Mitch steps between them slightly.

MITCH
You wanna ease into whatever nightmare that sentence belongs to?

Elina gestures for them to follow.

ELINA
We call it Night Reindeer.

Mitch sighs deeply.

MITCH
Of course you do.

INT. HELSINKI HOTEL – NIGHT

Modern. Sparse.

Samantha checks exits automatically.

Mitch drops onto the bed.

MITCH
I’m too old to die internationally.

Elina plugs in her laptop.

ELINA
Your neural profile, Ms. Baltimore, was used to model response conditioning in operatives.

Samantha’s jaw tightens.

SAMANTHA
I wasn’t a model. I was a prisoner.

Glass SHATTERS.

Gunfire ERUPTS.

SCREAMS.

Samantha MOVES first.

Mitch ducks.

Caitlin panics.

ASSASSINS storm in.

Fast. Brutal.

Samantha disarms one — ruthless — efficient.

Mitch fires wildly, hits a lamp.

MITCH
I hate Europe!

EXT. HELSINKI STREET – NIGHT

They burst out into snow.

Gunfire echoes.

SIRENS wail distantly.

A MAN steps out of the crowd.

KAL.

Eyes meet Samantha’s.

A slow smile.

KAL
Merry Christmas, Charly Baltimore.

Samantha raises her gun.

SAMANTHA
Run.

They RUN.

Kal watches them disappear into the snow.

Still smiling.

END OF PART I (PAGE 30)

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

PART II — PAGES 31–60

EXT. HELSINKI STREET – NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)

Snow churns under sprinting feet.

MITCH, SAMANTHA, and CAITLIN run full tilt through a frozen night market. Christmas stalls scatter as people SCREAM.

Mitch slips, slams into a table of gingerbread houses.

MITCH
Sorry! Wrong holiday apocalypse!

Samantha fires back while moving — controlled, lethal.

A BULLET clips a hanging ornament. It EXPLODES into glitter.

Caitlin ducks.

CAITLIN
Are they always this committed?!

SAMANTHA
Only when they send professionals.

They dive through a narrow alley.

INT. HELSINKI PARKING STRUCTURE – NIGHT

Concrete. Echoing.

They race up a ramp.

Gunfire POPS behind them.

Samantha skids to a stop at a parked car.

SAMANTHA
Keys!

Mitch tosses his keys. She catches them without looking.

She fires through the windshield — glass SPIDERWEBS.

The car ROARS to life.

They peel out just as bullets tear through where they stood.

INT. MOVING CAR – NIGHT

Samantha drives like physics insulted her.

Mitch grips the dashboard.

MITCH
I’d like to file a complaint with Europe.

Caitlin pants, adrenaline high.

CAITLIN
That guy — the one who talked to you —

SAMANTHA
Don’t repeat his name.

Mitch watches Samantha closely.

MITCH
You know him.

A beat.

SAMANTHA
I know the type.

EXT. HELSINKI – INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT – NIGHT

The car slides into a deserted warehouse zone.

Samantha kills the engine.

Silence except for wind.

She listens.

Withdrawing from the moment — calculating.

SAMANTHA
They’ll circle wide. He likes pressure, not speed.

MITCH
You saying this like it’s Yelp.

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – NIGHT

Sparse. Industrial chic. No personal touches.

ELINA ushers them in, locks five bolts like muscle memory.

ELINA
Nobody followed.

Mitch collapses into a chair.

MITCH
Good. My cardio plan ends here.

Caitlin watches Samantha pace.

CAITLIN
Mom… how long have you been able to do that?

Samantha stops.

SAMANTHA
Do what.

CAITLIN
That. The shooting. The calm.

Mitch jumps in.

MITCH
She’s very Zen.

Caitlin doesn’t laugh.

Samantha meets her daughter’s eyes.

SAMANTHA
Long enough to wish I couldn’t.

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – LATER

Laptop open. Maps scattered.

ELINA paces.

ELINA
The man you saw — Kalevi Nurmi.
Private security. Former intelligence liaison.

Mitch groans.

MITCH
So he’s like you if you went to the gym and liked hurting people.

ELINA
He leads enforcement for Martti Virtanen.

She pulls up a photo.

MARTTI VIRTANEN. CEO charm. Nordic billionaire.

ELINA (CONT’D)
Virtanen Industries supplies “civilian logistics platforms.”

MITCH
That’s a lot of syllables for drones.

Samantha studies the screen.

SAMANTHA
Where’s the facility.

Elina hesitates.

ELINA
Multiple locations. Helsinki. Turku. Lapland.

Mitch perks up.

MITCH
Lapland? Like elves and lawsuits?

Elina nods.

ELINA
There’s a “demonstration” scheduled for Christmas Eve.

Caitlin frowns.

CAITLIN
That’s… tomorrow.

Everyone goes quiet.

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – BATHROOM – NIGHT

Mitch washes blood off his hands.

Stares at himself.

Older. Slower. Still breathing.

Samantha appears in the doorway.

MITCH
Remember when our biggest problem was me bleeding in the kitchen?

SAMANTHA
You never stopped bleeding.

MITCH
This is different. This one feels… final.

She studies him.

SAMANTHA
You should go home.

MITCH
You haven’t.

Beat.

EXT. HELSINKI – SKYBRIDGE – NIGHT

The team crosses a glass skybridge between buildings.

Snow whips against massive panes.

Elina leads them.

Below, traffic snakes.

ELINA
The lab is nearby.

MITCH
You lab people always say that right before alarms.

They reach a steel door.

Elina swipes a card.

GREEN LIGHT.

INT. BIOTECH LAB – NIGHT

White. Clean. Sterile.

Too empty.

Monitors hum.

Samantha prowls.

SAMANTHA
This is wrong.

ELINA
It should be staffed.

Mitch inspects crates.

MITCH
Either they all took a smoke break or we’re late.

CAUTION lights blink on.

ALARMS SCREAM.

Doors clamp shut.

MITCH
Nailed it.

ARMED MEN flood in.

Gunfight ERUPTS — glass shatters, alarms blare.

Samantha moves like old code firing.

Mitch ducks, shoots, misses, shoots again.

Caitlin hides — then notices a FLIGHT CONTROL TERMINAL.

She types fast.

CAITLIN
Uh… these aren’t lab drones.

Samantha fires past her.

SAMANTHA
What are they.

CAITLIN
Commercial delivery. Retail-grade.

A GRAPHIC appears: SANTA-THEMED DRONES.

Mitch blinks.

MITCH
Is Santa weaponized now?

A door BLOWS inward.

KAL steps through smoke.

KAL
You’re always welcome, Charly.

Gunfight STALLS — tension thick.

KAL (CONT’D)
You should see Lapland. Very festive. Very final.

He withdraws with his men.

Samantha stands frozen.

INT. LAB – AFTERMATH

Silence except alarms.

Elina rushes to Caitlin.

ELINA
What did you see?

Caitlin swallows.

CAITLIN
Distribution routes. Cities. Global.

Elina closes her eyes.

ELINA
He’s using Santa logistics.

Mitch rubs his face.

MITCH
I hate that this makes sense.

EXT. HELSINKI – CHRISTMAS MARKET – NIGHT

Music. Lights. Crowds.

They blend in.

Police sirens everywhere.

Mitch watches Samantha disappear into herself.

MITCH
Hey.

She turns.

MITCH (CONT’D)
You’re still here.

She exhales — grounding.

SAMANTHA
I don’t want Caitlin seeing that part of me.

MITCH
She already knows. Difference is now you decide what she learns next.

INT. BLACK SUV – NIGHT

They’re escorted inside by AGENT NATALIE BISHOP (30s, polished, composed).

NATALIE
Ms. Caine. Mr. Hennessey.
You’ve caused quite the international incident.

Mitch smiles thin.

MITCH
I like to shop local.

Natalie studies Caitlin.

NATALIE
She shouldn’t be here.

Samantha bristles.

SAMANTHA
Neither should your people.

Natalie ignores it.

NATALIE
Night Reindeer is above your pay grade.

Mitch chuckles.

MITCH
Lady, my pay grade caps at sandwiches.

INT. SUV – CONTINUOUS

Natalie hands over a tablet.

Facility layouts. Lapland.

NATALIE
We’re shutting this down quietly.

Samantha scans it.

SAMANTHA
This isn’t a shutdown. This is containment.

Natalie meets her gaze — unblinking.

NATALIE
Sometimes that’s the same thing.

Mitch notices.

Files flicker — CIVILIAN CASUALTY PROJECTIONS.

Natalie locks the tablet.

NATALIE (CONT’D)
Christmas Eve. Lapland. Be ready.

SUV PULLS AWAY.

EXT. SAFE APARTMENT – NIGHT

Mitch lights a cigarette. Hands shaking.

MITCH
I don’t like her.

Samantha nods.

SAMANTHA
She talks like old handlers.

Caitlin steps forward.

CAITLIN
Mom… if this goes bad—

Samantha stops her with a look.

SAMANTHA
It won’t.

Caitlin nods, unconvinced.

INT. SAFE APARTMENT – NIGHT (LATE)

Samantha opens a duffel bag.

Inside: a WIG — blonde streak.

Silenced pistol. Knife.

She hesitates.

Mitch watches quietly.

MITCH
You don’t have to—

She cuts him off.

SAMANTHA
I do.

She lifts the wig.

Becomes CHARY again.

In the mirror — the ghost is back.

EXT. TRAIN PLATFORM – DAWN

Snow falling softly.

A train idles, destination scrolling:

KORVATUNTURI – LAPLAND

Mitch stares at it.

MITCH
You ever get the feeling the universe just points at you and laughs?

Charly smiles faintly.

CHARLY
Every day.

They board.

INT. TRAIN – MOVING – DAY

Snowy wilderness blurs past.

Caitlin dozes.

Elina types.

Mitch stares out the window, lost.

MITCH (V.O.)
Every Christmas I promise myself I’ll be better.
And every year, the world calls my bluff.

He closes his eyes as the train disappears into white.

END OF PART II (PAGE 60)

PART III – PAGES 61–90: OUTLINE

General position in the story:
We’re in the back half of the movie: the conspiracy has been uncovered, the “who” is mostly clear, and now it’s about stopping the Christmas Eve catastrophe, saving who needs saving, and forcing Mitch to step up as the actual hero.

61–65: Fallout & New Plan

Safehouse Sauna:
Mitch, Charly, and maybe one or two allies lay low in a tiny Helsinki apartment sauna (Finnish Easter egg #1). Steam, towels, guns on the wooden bench. Mitch is out of his depth in a very literal hot room.
They patch each other up. Charly is injured from the Part II set-piece and can’t physically lead the charge anymore.
They piece together that the “Christmas Security Exercise” at Helsinki Central Station is actually cover for a false-flag bombing tied to an international arms deal.
Mitch realizes he is the only one who can move freely—his face is not in every database, unlike Charly’s old assassin records.

66–70: Mitch Takes Point

Joulupukki Parade Setup:
The attack is synchronized with a Joulupukki (Finnish Santa) Christmas parade that culminates at the station. Perfect cover, lots of kids, perfect emotional stakes.
Mitch has to go undercover as a low-rent American “security consultant” for the event, bluffing his way past Finnish authorities.
Charly works comms from a cramped upstairs office above a R-kioski, tapping old contacts, half-drugged from painkillers but still sharper than anyone else.
Running joke: Mitch keeps mangling Finnish words while trying to fit in.

71–75: The Net Tightens

Spy vs. Spy in the Station:
Mitch spots the villain’s team planting disguised charges—tucked into Christmas decorations, under a HIFK hockey banner, inside a fake Sibelius statue pedestal.
He’s almost burned when he runs into a Finnish cop who idolizes Charly’s old “Baltimore” exploits (Easter egg: references “that woman from the old CIA case, you know, the one from the 90s”). Mitch barely talks his way out.
Charly, on comms, has to coach Mitch in real-time, flipping into full cold assassin mode… which scares Mitch a little.

76–80: Reversal & Betrayal

Charly’s compromised safe location is raided—someone on the inside sold them out.
Renny Harlin Easter egg: The traitor’s code name is “Harlin,” and he keeps referencing “framing things right” and “big finish,” which Charly clocked as weirdly cinematic but didn’t have time to unpack.
Mitch must choose: stay on mission at the station or double back to save Charly.
He gambles on both: hacking the parade route and fire alarm systems while racing back through the snow, slipping on ice in a very unglamorous, human way.

81–85: The Cross-Cut Crescendo

Intercut between:
- Mitch trying to evacuate crowds from the station with zero credibility and no badge.
- Charly fighting, creatively brutal and injured, inside a dark cargo warehouse by the frozen harbor, lit only by Christmas lights and flickering fluorescent bulbs.
Mitch finds one of the main device control units tucked inside a Christmas tree lot on the station platform; he does not know how to disarm it, so he improvises something wildly unsafe.

86–90: Narrow Save & Setup for Final Confrontation (Next Part)

The bombs are mostly neutralized or redirected—Mitch uses the train system to safely blow one in an empty rail yard, big cinematic fireball against the snow.
Charly kills or disables the local traitor but realizes the true mastermind isn’t there—this was just a staging area.
Mitch and Charly reunite in the smoking, snowing aftermath outside the station, Christmas lights still twinkling, sirens everywhere.
They realize the bigger play is one step higher: the arms deal is actually tied to a multinational “peacekeeping” consortium, and the final confrontation will be at a remote luxury lakeside spa (sauna again!) hosting a Christmas summit—your Part IV / pages 91–120.

KEY DIALOGUE SCENE (EARLY PART III – “SAUNA STRATEGY”)

INT. HELSINKI APARTMENT – SAUNA – NIGHT

Steam. Wooden benches. A tiny, overworked sauna heater hums like it’s about to explode.
MITCH, in a towel and socks (why socks?), tries to adjust his gun on the bench without branding himself on the metal.

CHARLY sits opposite, one arm in a makeshift sling, face pale with pain but eyes razor sharp.

MITCH
This is not how I pictured going out.
Hot, naked, and… mostly wood.

CHARLY
Trust me, this isn’t “going out.” This is “commercial break before the third act.”

Mitch squints through the steam.

MITCH
You hear that? That’s the painkillers talking. You sound like a director’s commentary.

CHARLY
You want notes, Mitch, or you want to save a few thousand Finns and some very traumatized tourists?

He shifts, winces.

MITCH
Hey, I’m not the one who jumped off a moving tram.

CHARLY
I was pushed. By a grenade.

Beat. Mitch tries to lean back, yelps when his shoulder hits hot wood.

MITCH
Okay, ground rules. Any plan that ends with me on fire is a “no.” We agree?

CHARLY
We’re in a six-by-six Finnish sweat box with a loaded Glock and a concussion. You’re already on fire.

Mitch points at her sling.

MITCH
You’re in no shape to lead anything. You sneezed ten minutes ago and I thought we were gonna lose the arm.

CHARLY
I don’t need the arm to lead. I need it to reload. Guess who gets that job?

He sighs.

MITCH
You know, when I was a PI, my biggest worry was parking tickets and whether my car would start in the winter. This? This is… this is international incident stuff.

CHARLY
The “Christmas Security Exercise.” The parade. The station. It’s all one op.

She nods to the rough map taped to the sauna door, edges curling from the heat.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
Bombs at the end points, Mitch. You hide them where nobody looks: tradition. Decorations. Background.

MITCH
So, candy canes and reindeer. That’s not creepy at all.

CHARLY
You want subtlety or you want accuracy?

He studies the map. Lines drawn from the Joulupukki parade route to HELSINKI CENTRAL STATION.

MITCH
Okay. Say you’re right—

CHARLY
I’m right.

MITCH
—since you’re right… Who are they blaming when the tinsel hits the fan?

CHARLY
Some domestic group. “Security failure.” Might even pin it on the minister who tried to shut this down. Big contracts get renewed. Bigger guns get sold.

Mitch shakes his head.

MITCH
You know what I miss? When the bad guy owned a freighter and just wanted to blow up one city. Now it’s quarterly earnings.

Charley watches him, evaluating.

CHARLY
You’re stalling.

MITCH
I am thinking. This is my thinking face. It’s just… sweaty.

She leans forward, serious now.

CHARLY
They know my face. They’ve got my file, my prints, my kill count. The second I show up at the station, doors slam and bullets fly.

MITCH
And me?

CHARLY
You’re… less famous.

He frowns.

MITCH
That hurt.

CHARLY
It’s good. You’re forgettable. Like a rental car. That’s your power.

Beat. He thinks about that, then nods.

MITCH
So I stroll into Helsinki Central like I belong there. Flash a fake badge, say “I’m the American security consultant, here to help you not blow up Christmas.”

CHARLY
Don’t say it like that.

MITCH
I’ll work on the phrasing.

She reaches down, slides a compact earpiece across the bench.

CHARLY
I’ll be in your ear from upstairs. There’s a little office above the R-kioski. Old contact owes me. I’ll guide you.

MITCH
And if they find you instead?

She shrugs with her good shoulder.

CHARLY
Then you improvise. You’re good at that.

MITCH
No, I’m good at complaining while I improvise. There’s a difference.

He stands, towel slipping; he clutches it back up with dignity barely intact.

MITCH (CONT’D)
One more thing. What’s “I’m totally supposed to be here, don’t shoot” in Finnish?

Charly considers.

CHARLY
There isn’t a phrase for that. Just… mumble. They’ll think you’re Swedish.

He stares at her.

MITCH
You’re messing with me.

CHARLY
Little bit.

She softens, finally.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
You’ve got this, Mitch. You walk in, find the hardware, keep the bodies from piling up. I’ll handle the ghosts.

He nods, taking that in.

MITCH
If I die, I’m haunting this sauna.

CHARLY
Get in line.

They share a grim, crooked smile as steam swirls around them, like the air before a storm.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT 2

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

PART III — CONTINUED (PAGES 66–80)

EXT. HELSINKI CENTRAL STATION – DAY

A grand European station blanketed in SNOW.

Christmas decorations hang from every archway. A massive JOULUPUKKI (SANTA) PARADE assembles outside — families, tourists, cameras, cheer.

Uniformed security everywhere.

MITCH HENNESSEY steps into frame wearing a borrowed winter coat, scarf hiding his earpiece. He looks like a dad who got lost on the way to a museum.

He mutters under his breath.

MITCH
Okay. Act normal. Walk like you know things. Don’t sweat. Definitely don’t sweat.

He approaches a SECURITY CHECKPOINT.

A FINNISH OFFICER eyes his borrowed badge.

OFFICER
You are…?

Mitch smiles, leans in slightly too close.

MITCH
American consultant. I’m here to keep Christmas un-ruined.

The officer blinks.

OFFICER
That is not a real job.

Mitch nods sympathetically.

MITCH
I tell my parents that every year.

The officer hesitates. Then hands the badge back.

OFFICER
Stay inside the ropes.

MITCH
Always do. Metaphorically and emotionally.

Mitch moves on, exhaling.

INT. SMALL OFFICE ABOVE R-KIOSKI – CONTINUOUS

CHARLY sits in a cramped, dusty security office overlooking the station floor.

Painkillers. Laptop. Old-school surveillance gear.

She slips on headphones.

CHARLY
You’re in. Don’t get excited — that’s how idiots get shot.

MITCH (V.O.)
Copy that. Remaining calm. Slightly damp. Mostly brave.

She tracks camera feeds.

CHARLY
Two teams moving counterclockwise through the station. That’s not crowd control. That’s choreography.

Her fingers fly.

INT. STATION CONCOURSE – DAY

Crowds thicken. Kids with paper Santa hats.

Mitch threads through carefully.

A JANITOR bumps him. A METAL CLINK.

Mitch looks down — a DECORATIVE PRESENT BOX wired underneath a bench.

MITCH
(low)
Found something festive and deeply upsetting.

CHARLY (V.O.)
Tell me it’s not ticking.

MITCH
It’s not ticking. It’s beeping. That’s worse, right?

She zooms camera footage.

CHARLY
Okay. That’s one of the feeders. Localized blast — panic generator. It’s meant to herd people toward the exits.

MITCH
That feels… intentional.

CHARLY
Because it is.

INT. STATION – PLATFORM LEVEL – DAY

A group of SECURITY CONTRACTORS move with purpose.

KAL is among them.

Sharp. Focused.

He scans the crowd — almost bored.

His phone buzzes.

KAL
(into phone, Finnish)
He’s inside. And no — it’s not her.

Kal looks up, scanning.

Smiles.

INT. R-KIOSKI OFFICE – DAY

Charly winces as she shifts in her chair.

She locks onto multiple feeds.

CHARLY
Mitch, listen carefully. They’re corralling civilians. That means your device isn’t the kill switch.

MITCH (V.O.)
Then what am I looking at?

CHARLY
The trigger. The real payload’s mobile.

She types.

Camera feed pops up: A GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE on the main platform. Thick trunk. Heavy base.

Wires run up inside.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
Santa just got mean.

INT. STATION CONCOURSE – DAY

Mitch approaches the massive Christmas tree.

Kids gathered around it, singing.

A choir starts up nearby.

His jaw tightens.

MITCH
You really picked your spot, didn’t you.

CHARLY (V.O.)
You need to clear that platform quietly.

MITCH
Define “quietly.”

A CONDUCTOR passes.

Mitch grabs him.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Hey! Train issue!

CONDUCTOR
Which train?

MITCH
All of them! It’s a… uh… Finnish thing!

The conductor stares.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Look, fire drill, collapse, suspicious sausage — pick one.

The conductor shrugs and blows his WHISTLE.

Crowd noise spikes.

EXT. STATION ENTRANCE – SAME TIME

KAL watches the stir.

His smile fades.

KAL
They’ve seen the tree. Accelerate.

INT. R-KIOSKI OFFICE – SAME TIME

Charly hears it in his voice.

CHARLY
Mitch, he’s forcing it. You don’t have time to disarm.

MITCH (V.O.)
You got another idea?

She swallows.

CHARLY
Yes. And you’re not going to like it.

INT. STATION PLATFORM – DAY

Mitch kneels at the tree’s base.

Wires inside. No simple cutoff.

MITCH
Charly… please don’t say “run away.”

CHARLY (V.O.)
You see the train marked RAIL YARD EAST?

Mitch looks up — empty platform, inactive train.

MITCH
Yeah.

CHARLY
You move the tree onto that car, uncouple it, and send it downrange.

Mitch blinks.

MITCH
You want me to put a bomb on a train.

CHARLY (V.O.)
I want you to save Christmas. The method is flexible.

Mitch looks around.

Security contractors close in.

He grips the tree base.

MITCH
I am not explaining this to my therapist.

He RAMS the tree forward.

Chaos erupts.

INT. STATION – CHAOS – DAY

People scream.

Security yells.

Mitch SHOVES the tree onto the rail car.

A CONTRACTOR lunges — Mitch clocks him with a candy-cane pole.

MITCH
Hate seasonal weapons!

He UNCOUPLES the rail car using a manual lever, nearly crushing his hand.

The car BEGINS TO ROLL.

Mitch sprints clear.

EXT. RAIL YARD – DAY

The rail car rolls into the snowy distance.

It EXPLODES in a controlled fireball.

Snow billows.

Shockwave ripples.

No civilians nearby.

INT. STATION – AFTERMATH

Sirens. Shock.

People shaken but alive.

Mitch leans against a column, gasping.

MITCH
…okay. I’m calling that a win.

INT. R-KIOSKI OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

Charly allows herself one breath.

Then her screen FREEZES.

A shadow falls across the doorway.

She looks up.

KAL stands there.

KAL
You staged that nicely. Very cinematic.

Charly slowly reaches for her pistol.

KAL (CONT’D)
Easy. I’d hate to ruin Christmas twice.

He kicks the door shut.

INT. STATION CONCOURSE – SAME TIME

Mitch’s phone crackles — dead static.

MITCH
Charly?

Nothing.

MITCH (CONT’D)
…Charly?

Mitch straightens, fear replacing adrenaline.

He looks toward the upper offices.

Decision time.

END OF CONTINUATION (APPROX. PAGE 80)

PART III — CONTINUED (PAGES 81–90)

INT. R-KIOSKI OFFICE – DAY (CONTINUOUS)

The tiny office feels even smaller now.

KAL NURMI fills the doorway, snow clinging to his coat, gun low but ready.

CHARLY sits frozen behind the desk, laptop cracked open, feeds frozen.

Silence… then:

KAL
You always liked vantage points. Windows. High ground.

She doesn’t move her hands.

CHARLY
You talk too much for someone with a silencer.

Kal smiles, shuts the door gently behind him. Click of the lock.

KAL
That’s because I actually enjoy this part.
The catching up.

Charly shifts, pain obvious.

KAL (CONT’D)
You look tired.

CHARLY
I look retired.

Kal glances at her sling.

KAL
They don’t teach that anymore.
Injuries are wasteful.

CHARLY
So is nostalgia.

Kal circles, casual, predatory.

KAL
You know why they moved the program? Because ghosts age.
But legends… those last.

He stops in front of her.

KAL (CONT’D)
They still use your profile, Charly.
Your reactions. Your tells.

CHARLY
You should update the software.

She suddenly KICKS the desk — sending it slamming into him.

She rolls, fires two shots.

Kal DIVES, returns fire — the computer SCREEN EXPLODES.

They crash into each other.

Close. Brutal. No elegance.

Charly winces with every hit, but she keeps coming.

Kal SLAMS her into the wall.

Her pistol clatters away.

He presses his gun to her head.

KAL
You could’ve stayed dead.

She spits blood.

CHARLY
Tried it. Bored.

She drives her knee into his groin — not enough — but enough.

He staggers back as she COLLAPSES to one knee.

Both breathing hard now.

INT. HELSINKI CENTRAL STATION – DAY

MITCH pushes through emergency crews, searching.

His phone pressed to his ear.

MITCH
Charly, pick up. Please pick up.

Static only.

A FIREFIGHTER grabs him.

FIREFIGHTER
Sir! You can’t be here—

Mitch shrugs him off.

MITCH
Buddy, if I leave now, way worse things happen.

He spots SECURITY CONTRACTORS moving toward an exit.

The same men from before.

He clocks it instantly.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Son of a festive bitch.

He follows.

INT. R-KIOSKI OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

Kal regains his footing.

He looks… genuinely disappointed.

KAL
Still dangerous. That’s admirable.

Charly leans against the wall, barely standing.

CHARLY
You always underestimate age.

Kal raises his gun again.

Suddenly—

GUNFIRE THROUGH THE DOOR.

Kal ducks.

MITCH bursts in, gun shaking but determined.

MITCH
Step away from the murder elf.

Kal laughs despite himself.

KAL
You survived.
Impressive. Unwise.

Mitch fires — hits Kal in the shoulder.

Kal stumbles back, crashes through the window.

Glass explodes outward into snow.

EXT. STATION COURTYARD – DAY

Kal hits hard, rolls.

He’s already up, moving.

Mitch rushes to Charly.

She slides down the wall.

MITCH
Hey. Hey. Stay awake.

CHARLY
I hate this part.

MITCH
Good news — you still get to complain.

She grabs his collar weakly.

CHARLY
Listen to me.
That wasn’t the main device.

Mitch freezes.

MITCH
…Say again, slower, so I can have a panic attack properly.

CHARLY
The station was misdirection.
The real trigger is mobile.

Mitch lets that sink in.

MITCH
Mobile how?

Charly’s eyes drift toward the trains.

Toward THE NORTHBOUND EXPRESS idling, marked:

KORVATUNTURI – LAPLAND

Families boarding. Kids waving.

Christmas music plays over the PA.

CHARLY
Same payload. Bigger reach.

Mitch turns back to her.

MITCH
You’re coming with me.

She shakes her head.

CHARLY
I can’t even run.

He swallows.

MITCH
I’m not doing this without you.

She grips his wrist.

Steel in her voice despite the pain.

CHARLY
Yes. You are.

Beat.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
You don’t stop this, Mitch, everyone we just saved dies later.

Police sirens grow louder.

TIME is crushing them.

Mitch looks between her and the train.

The choice hurts.

He finally nods.

MITCH
I hate growth.

He squeezes her hand, then RUNS.

INT. NORTHBOUND EXPRESS – MOVING – DAY

The train pulls out.

MITCH squeezes aboard just before the doors close.

People laugh, cheer, drink cocoa.

Mitch pushes through, searching.

MITCH
Okay. Big scary bomb. Think like a sociopath.

He spots a SEALED CARGO CASE beneath a luggage rack.

Wire visible.

His face falls.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Of course it’s that one.

His phone BUZZES.

UNKNOWN CALL.

He answers.

KAL (V.O.)
You really should’ve stayed at the station.

Mitch scans the aisle.

MITCH
You mean the murder attempt or the emotional trauma?

KAL (V.O.)
This train crosses three population centers before Lapland.

Mitch stops short.

A little GIRL smiles at him, holding a stuffed reindeer.

Mitch forces a smile back.

MITCH
You’re really leaning into the holiday theme.

KAL (V.O.)
I prefer efficiency.
You prefer sentiment.

MITCH
No, I prefer not exploding.

Kal chuckles.

KAL (V.O.)
We’ll see which one wins.

Click.

The call drops.

Mitch stands there, surrounded by civilians, staring at the bomb.

His hands shake.

Then steady.

He takes a breath.

MITCH
All right.
Let’s do something stupid.

EXT. HELSINKI STATION – DAY

Charly is loaded into an ambulance.

She watches the train disappear north.

Pain etched across her face — but worse, regret.

She closes her eyes.

INT. TRAIN – ENGINE CAR – DAY

Mitch forces open a door marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

An ENGINEER looks up.

ENGINEER
Sir, you can’t —

Mitch shows his gun.

MITCH
I know. I hate me too.

The Engineer backs off.

Mitch looks at the speed readout.

Outside: snow, forests, white blur.

He speaks to himself now.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Okay. If I derail a train, I die.
If I don’t, a lot of people die.

He swallows.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Never liked math.

He grabs the radio.

MITCH (INTO RADIO)
This is going to sound insane.

Engineer nods.

ENGINEER
It already does.

INT. HELSINKI AMBULANCE – MOVING – DAY

Charly’s eyes flick open.

She grabs a PARAMEDIC by the sleeve.

CHARLY
Which direction…

PARAMEDIC
North. Lapland.

Charly exhales.

CHARLY
That idiot…
That beautiful idiot.

She leans back — eyes fierce.

CHARLY (CONT’D)
Don’t let him die.

INT. TRAIN – PASSENGER CAR – DAY

Mitch moves back toward the bomb.

Passengers sense tension now.

A WOMAN clutches her son.

WOMAN
Is something wrong?

Mitch kneels.

Gentle now.

MITCH
Hey.
Just a safety thing.

He looks around at the Christmas decorations.

At the people.

Resolve hardens.

MITCH (CONT’D)
And I am done letting people like me get lucky.

The bomb’s timer BLINKS into view.

00:14:59

Mitch exhales slowly.

END OF PART III (PAGE 90)

PART IV — PAGES 91–120

INT. NORTHBOUND EXPRESS – PASSENGER CAR – DAY (CONTINUOUS)

The TIMER BLINKS.

Passengers murmur, sensing something wrong.

MITCH kneels beside the cargo case, steadying his breath.

He opens it just enough to see:

A COMPACT SPHERE. Wires branching out like veins. A blinking transmitter.

MITCH
Okay… okay. You look expensive.

A LITTLE GIRL watches him.

GIRL
Is it a present?

Mitch forces a smile.

MITCH
Yeah. One nobody wants.

The TRAIN HITS A BEND. Mitch slides, catches himself.

He makes a decision.

INT. ENGINE CAR – DAY

Mitch grabs the ENGINEER again.

MITCH
I need you to give me control.

ENGINEER
That’s impossible.

Mitch meets his eyes.

MITCH
So is what’s sitting four cars back.

The Engineer hesitates — then hands over the control lever.

Mitch studies the MAP.

A branch line appears.

MITCH (CONT’D)
Rail yard spur. Empty?

ENGINEER
Maintenance only. No towns.

Mitch nods.

MITCH
Then we’re going hunting.

INT. PASSENGER CAR – DAY

Mitch climbs onto a seat.

Voice ringing, calm but commanding.

MITCH
Everyone listen up!
This train’s making an unscheduled stop.

Murmurs rise.

MITCH (CONT’D)
We’re diverting to a service track. It’s safe. But I need you to move now.

A MAN stands.

MAN
Why should we trust—

Mitch snaps.

MITCH
Because if I’m lying, we don’t make it to the argument part.

Beat.

People move.

Parents gather kids. Bags drop.

Order emerges from chaos.

EXT. FINNISH WILDERNESS – DAY

Snow-covered trees race past.

The TRAIN SHUDDERS as Mitch pulls the lever.

Rails SCREECH.

INT. TRAIN – SERVICE STOP – DAY

Doors BURST open.

Passengers pour out into snow.

Mitch drags the bomb case with all his strength.

Hands numb. Breath ragged.

The LAST DOOR slides shut.

Mitch turns—

—and sees KAL standing at the far end of the platform, gun raised.

KAL
You could’ve walked away.

Mitch drops the case.

MITCH
Man, I’ve been walking away my whole life.

Kal approaches.

KAL
You’re not built for this.

MITCH
No.
I’m built for surviving it.

Mitch fires — misses.

Kal returns fire — grazes Mitch’s shoulder.

Mitch stumbles, falls beside the bomb.

The TIMER reads:

00:04:10

EXT. TRACKSIDE — CONTINUOUS

Mitch crawls, bleeding.

Kal advances, calm.

KAL
You die thinking you mattered.

MITCH
That’s funny.

Kal stops.

MITCH (CONT’D)
I lived my whole life thinking I didn’t.

Mitch SLAMS the bomb into the frozen ground.

CRACK.

The casing fractures.

The TIMER FLICKERS.

Kal’s eyes widen.

KAL
No—

Mitch FIRES point blank.

Kal drops.

Silence.

The TIMER continues.

00:01:30

Mitch stares at it.

Laughs weakly.

MITCH
Of course.

INT. HELSINKI HOSPITAL – DAY

CHARLY bolts upright in bed.

Heart monitor spikes.

NURSE rushes in.

NURSE
Easy!

Charly grabs her arm.

CHARLY
The train — where is it?

EXT. TRACKSIDE – DAY

Mitch fumbles with wires.

Freezing hands.

Blood everywhere.

He looks out over the empty forest.

Snow falling gently.

He stops.

Stands.

Walks a few steps away from the bomb.

Breathes.

Then comes back.

MITCH
Nope. Not today.

He yanks two wires together.

The TIMER STOPS.

00:00:07

Nothing happens.

Mitch collapses backward into snow.

Laughs uncontrollably.

EXT. TRACKSIDE – LATER

Finnish MILITARY vehicles arrive.

MEDICS rush Mitch.

He barely stays conscious.

MEDIC
You’re very lucky.

Mitch grins weakly.

MITCH
I hate that word.

INT. HOSPITAL ROOM – NIGHT

Mitch wakes.

Bandaged. Alive.

CHARLY sits beside the bed.

Quiet.

They look at each other.

MITCH
So… did I save Christmas?

CHARLY
You saved people.

MITCH
Way harder.

Beat.

CHARLY
I didn’t run.

MITCH
I noticed.
Thank you.

She exhales.

CHARLY
I spent years thinking if I stayed in control, nobody would get hurt.

MITCH
Yeah. Control’s a scam.

She takes his hand.

INT. FINNISH HOLDING FACILITY – DAY

AGENT NATALIE BISHOP watches as Kal’s BODY is zipped up.

Finnish authorities escort her away.

NATALIE
This won’t stop.

A FINNISH OFFICER nods.

OFFICER
It never does.

EXT. UPSTATE NEW YORK – CHRISTMAS MORNING

Snow falls gently.

SAMANTHA’S HOUSE.

Warm lights.

Inside, MITCH sits on the couch, heavily bandaged.

CAITLIN hands him a gift.

He opens it.

A CHEAP SANTA FIGURINE HOLDING A GUN.

MITCH
I feel seen.

Laughter.

Samantha watches from the kitchen.

Whole. Present.

INT. SAMANTHA’S ATTIC – DAY

Samantha opens the old box.

Guns. Wigs. Knives.

She removes ONE pistol.

Places the box back.

Closes it.

EXT. SUBURBAN STREET – NIGHT

Mitch walks out to his car.

Snow crunches.

Phone BUZZES.

TEXT MESSAGE:

Still park like an asshole.

Mitch smiles.

Looks up at falling snow.

FINAL IMAGE

A CHILD’S TOY DRONE shaped like a reindeer BUZZES…
then sputters…
and drops harmlessly into the snow.

CAMERA HOLDS.

Snow covers it.

FADE OUT.

THE LONGER GOODNIGHT

SHANE BLACK ULTRA-SNARK DIALOGUE POLISH

(Dialogue Only – Drop-In Pass)

1. MITCH ON THE TALK SHOW (ACT I)

ORIGINAL VIBE: Self-aware humor
POLISHED GOAL: Legendary exhaustion + contempt for fame

REPLACEMENT DIALOGUE

HOST
So, Mitch, what does it feel like to survive something that should’ve killed you?

MITCH
Honestly?
Like I skipped a line at the afterlife and now everybody’s pissed about it.

Laughs.

HOST
And the government really tried to kill you?

MITCH
Look, I don’t hold grudges. I just remember faces, names, budgets — and who rubber-stamped my murder.

2. MITCH & SAMANTHA PHONE CALL (ACT I)

GOAL: Intimacy + bite + history

REPLACEMENT

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
You’ve got ninety seconds.

MITCH
Still charging by the minute, huh? Inflation hurts us all.

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
Say what you need to say.

MITCH
Someone emailed me a photo of you mid-execution like it was a prom memory.

(beat)

SAMANTHA (V.O.)
We don’t talk about that life.

MITCH
Funny. That life keeps drunk-dialing me from Finland.

3. HOME INVASION AFTERMATH – CAITLIN MEETS CHARLY

GOAL: Dark humor without deflating trauma

REPLACEMENT

CAITLIN
Mom… what was that?

CHARLY
That was bad people making worse choices.

CAITLIN
And you?

CHARLY
I was the correction.

4. HELSINKI SAFE APARTMENT – ARGUMENT (ACT II)

GOAL: Mitch punches upward; Charly resists sentiment

REPLACEMENT

SAMANTHA
I told you to walk away.

MITCH
I did. Life tackled me and took my wallet.

SAMANTHA
You don’t belong in this.

MITCH
Neither do Christmas terrorists, but here we are, exchanging gifts.

5. MITCH + CAITLIN (BONDING MOMENT)

GOAL: Mitch humanizes himself while staying caustic

REPLACEMENT

CAITLIN
You ever scared?

MITCH
Constantly. I just learned panic burns calories.

CAITLIN
That’s your secret?

MITCH
No. My secret is I talk until people think I know what I’m doing.

6. FIRST CONFRONTATION WITH KAL (ACT II)

GOAL: Civilized menace

REPLACEMENT

KAL
You look disappointed.

MITCH
I had lower expectations and you still underperformed.

KAL
You should step away.

MITCH
I’m American. We don’t step away. We double down and apologize later.

7. SAUNA SCENE – STRATEGY (ACT III)

GOAL: Peak Shane Black — insults + truth bombs

POLISHED VERSION

MITCH
This sauna’s hotter than my last relationship.

CHARLY
That explains the trauma.

MITCH
You’re hurt.

CHARLY
I’m inconvenienced.

MITCH
You’ve been shot twice.

CHARLY
Details.

(beat)

MITCH
You know what you are?

CHARLY
Don’t.

MITCH
A professional regret manager.

She almost smiles.

8. HELSINKI STATION – TREE BOMB

GOAL: Comedy under pressure

REPLACEMENT

MITCH
(to Charly, V.O.)
Tell me this isn’t a bomb.

CHARLY (V.O.)
It’s a persuasion tool.

MITCH
I hate persuasive objects.

9. CHARY VS KAL – FINAL WORDS (ACT III)

GOAL: Charly rejects mythic assassin identity

REPLACEMENT

KAL
You were perfect.

CHARLY
No. I was useful.

(she shoots him)

10. MITCH ON THE TRAIN – HERO TURN (ACT IV)

GOAL: Vulnerable bravery, not macho

REPLACEMENT

MITCH
(to himself)
Okay. Nobody clap. Nobody film.
Let’s screw this up heroically.

11. MITCH vs KAL – FINAL STAND

GOAL: Philosophy clash + insult comedy

REPLACEMENT

KAL
You’re not built for sacrifice.

MITCH
Buddy, my whole life’s been unpaid emotional labor.

(bang)

12. HOSPITAL SCENE – EMOTIONAL LANDING

GOAL: Connection without sentimentality

REPLACEMENT

MITCH
You stayed.

CHARLY
Don’t read into it.

MITCH
Too late. I’m unconscious and emotional.

CHARLY
You were brave.

MITCH
I was cornered. Don’t oversell it.

13. FINAL TAG – TEXT MESSAGE

UNCHANGED — BECAUSE IT’S PERFECT

Still park like an asshole.

Mitch smiles.