Raise a Glass

Raise a Glass: A Rise of the Dead Story is a spin-off short film of the Rise of the Dead Saga released under the A Rise of the Dead Story. It is the second and final film in the spinoff series and was released in June 2020. It features Jack's first on-screen appearance in seven years after Rise of the Dead 2: Apocalypse, after his absence in The Rise of the Dead save for a brief moment of archival footage.

Cast

 * Jack Hillebrecht as Jack
 * Natalie Hillebrecht as Little girl/Zombie

Plot
On February 20, 2017, Jack lays a memorial for Ryan, who he believes to be dead. Narration plays of a diary entry from the day before the events of Rise of the Dead. Jack loses faith in God over the Apocalypse and throws away a religious necklace. As he drives away, he sees an unconscious Little girl and rescues her and takes care of her. The next day, Jack is attacked by a zombie who the Little girl defeats. She runs away and Jack drinks a beer.

Production
Despite being set in 2017, the short was filmed in June 2020. The cast was small because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was reworked from a script that involved Jack facing off against Arthur Beansman due to these restrictions.

Future
The film was not intended to be the final installment in the A Rise of the Dead Story collection. A third film based on Arthur Beansman was planned, but this was cancelled in favor of Rise of the Dead: The Undead Heart, the "true end" to the series. That film would bring back Jack and the same Little girl following the events of this film.