Surprising Ferris Bueller Spinoff Movie Scores A Director In New Update

Sam and Victor's Day Off Lands a Director

Sam and Victor’s Day Off, the surprising spinoff movie based on Ferris Bueller's Day Off, has landed a director. First announced in 2022, the spinoff will return to the same day Matthew Broderick and his friends famously took a day off school, but will instead focus on the two parking attendants who absconded with the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT belonging to Cameron’s (Alan Ruck) father. Set to be produced by Paul Young (Key & Peele) and Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald, the script is also being penned by Cobra Kai writer Bill Posley.

David Katzenberg Tapped as Director

Per The InSneider newsletter (via The Hollywood Reporter), The Goldbergs director and producer David Katzenberg has been tapped to sit into the director’s chair. In addition to serving as an episode director on other shows such as Young Rock and The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Katzenberg also served as a screenwriter of the forthcoming Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and helped produce Warner Bros.'s It movies.

Why A Spinoff Is A Better Idea Than A Ferris Bueller Sequel Or Reboot

Widely regarded as a comedy classic that stands as one of John Hughes’ most memorable films, many pundits thought the movie was ripe for a potential sequel or reboot long before Sam and Victor’s Day Off was first announced. Even Broderick himself has admitted that while he and Hughes discussed the idea of a potential sequel, the original movie was “about a singular time in your life,” and they could not find an appropriate way to replicate it.

While Broderick would never make a Ferris Bueller sequel, he did reprise the role briefly for the end credits of Hughes' 1988 comedy She's Having a Baby.

As for a potential reboot, there has already been an attempt to replace Broderick as Ferris Bueller with actor Charlie Schlatter during the 1990's short-lived Ferris Bueller TV show. However, poor ratings and negative reviews quickly led to its cancellation after just one season. With this in mind, the idea of a Ferris Bueller spinoff that intentionally honors the events of the original movie without attempting to recast or replace Broderick, Ruck, or Mia Sara as Ferris’ girlfriend Sloane, is probably the most effective choice.

Exciting Storytelling Prospects

While Katzenberg will still need to recast Richard Edson and Larry 'Flash' Jenkins as the spinoff’s titular parking attendants, the idea of returning to that same fateful Ferris Bueller's Day Off date in 1986 offers some unique and exciting storytelling prospects. If done correctly, Katzenberg could even offer a glimpse at some of the more iconic moments from the original movie, such as the titular character's infamous parade performance from a different perspective. Whether Sam and Victor’s Day Off will succeed in being as well received as the original movie remains to be seen, but the underlying concept has promise.