Paramount Plans ‘Ferris Bueller’ Spin-Off Movie

The new movie comes from ‘Cobra Kai’ creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald, who will produce.

(L to R) Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, and Matthew Broderick in 1986's 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off.'

While you might think that classic movies might be safe from remakes and other treatments, recent history (and even the likes of Gus Van Sant’s ‘Psycho’ years ago) has proved that’s not the case.

But while John Hughes’ ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ has passed into pop culture legend, referenced in a hundred different other movies and shows, no-one has seriously dared suggest a remake. And, indeed, that’s still the case – but Deadline reports that Paramount instead has plans for a spin-off.

For those who are somehow unaware of the 1986 original, it starred Matthew Broderick as the canny, cheeky Ferris, who hatches a plan to skip school for the day and have fun hanging out with girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and reluctant best pal Cameron (Alan Ruck).

Faking illness, Ferris gets to spend the day driving Cameron’s father’s Ferrarri, dancing in a parade and visiting a Chicago art gallery. Yet, his day doesn’t go completely to plan.

Ferris is an iconic character who breaks the fourth wall to address in the audience, and Hughes’ movie features a post-credit scene of Ferris telling the audience that it’s over and they should go home.

Considered one of Hughes’ best works, it was also a success, it earned $70.7 million on a $5 million budget. And it even inspired a short-lived sitcom version, which ran for one 13-episode season between 1990 and 1991. It starred Charlie Schlatter as Ferris Bueller and a young Jennifer Aniston as his nemesis sister, Jeanie Bueller.

(L to R) Ami Dolenz, Charlie Schlatter, and Jennifer Aniston in the 1990's TV series 'Ferris Bueller.'

The new movie would focus on the valets who Ferris hands the Ferrarri over to at one point in the movie, and who proceed to take it on their own joyride.

Though the characters were not named in the original movie, they were played by Richard Edson and the late Larry “Flash” Jenkins (who died in 2019).

‘Sam and Victor’s Day Off’ will give them names and a story to go along with their brief pop-up in the 1986 movie.

Paramount has ‘Cobra Kai’ creators/show-runners Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald producing the movie, while the script will be by Bill Posley, who worked on the show as a writer and made his directorial debut with this year’s festival release ‘Bitch Ass’.

‘Cobra Kai’ has proved that the producers know what it takes to faithfully bring new angles to classic movies, as the series stands both as a sequel to the original ‘Karate Kid’ trilogy and an expansion of its world.

Originally created for YouTube’s short-lived scripted original strand, it then moved to Netflix where it is about to launch its fifth season.

Hurwitz, Heald and Schlossberg are also behind a new show for the streaming service, called ‘Obliterated,’ and are attached to produce a movie version of the History Channel’s ‘Ancient Aliens’ show, with Heald on to direct that one.

‘Sam and Victor’s Day Off’ doesn’t have a director attached yet, but we’ll see if it gets to that stage.