Cast: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey (as Jeanie), and Kieran Culkin (as the HR Director) Genre: Comedy / Satire / Adventure

The Logline

Trapped in a soulless corporate existence where “Life moves pretty fast” has been replaced by “Let’s circle back,” a burned-out Ferris Bueller hacks his company’s AI to kidnap Cameron and Sloane for one last, desperate joyride through a Chicago that is watching their every move.

The Extended Synopsis

The Sellout Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is tired. He is a Senior VP of Risk Management. He wears beige. He schedules his fun in Outlook. He has become the very thing he once mocked: A George Peterson. He breaks the fourth wall, staring directly into the camera during a Zoom meeting, and whispers, “I’m dying here.” He realizes that while he won the war against Ed Rooney, he lost the war against adulthood. It’s time to call in sick.

The Crew He drags the gang back together.

• Cameron (Alan Ruck): Now a wealthy but hypochondriac pharmaceutical executive. He is vibrating with anxiety, constantly checking his smart-watch vitals. He doesn’t want to go. Ferris doesn’t care.
• Sloane (Mia Sara): A high-society philanthropist who is bored out of her mind. She is the only one who still fits in the leather jacket. She is the getaway driver.

The Modern Escape Playing hooky in 2026 is a different beast. There is no principal to fool; there is “Project R.O.O.N.E.Y.” (Remote Operations & Online Network Efficiency Yielder), an HR AI algorithm designed to track employee productivity. To escape, they don’t just have to leave the building; they have to go “Zero Dark Thirty.” They ditch the smartphones, disable the GPS trackers in their cars, and hack a prototype self-driving Ferrari that Cameron’s company is insuring.

The Joyride They tear through modern Chicago. The humor comes from the generational clash:

• Trying to order lunch at a fancy restaurant that has no waiters, only QR codes.
• Accidentally going viral on TikTok when Ferris crashes a Gen-Z influencer house party to use the bathroom.
• The realization that they can’t run as fast as they used to, so they have to outsmart the chasing security drones using “analog” tricks (like throwing a tarp over a sensor).

The Twist The relentless HR Director (Kieran Culkin), the spiritual successor to Rooney, is hunting them down to fire them before their stock options vest. The climax takes place at a massive Tech Summit at the Art Institute. Ferris hijacks the keynote presentation, turning a boring slide deck into a rousing manifesto about the importance of leisure, culminating in a flash mob to “Twist and Shout” (remixed) that forces the entire city to stop working for three minutes.

Why This Pitch Works

• The Metaphor: The original film was about the fear of growing up. This film is about the fear of growing old. It resonates deeply with the original audience who are now in their 50s and 60s.
• The Tech Satire: Ferris vs. The Algorithm. Using Ferris’s street smarts to defeat modern surveillance is a satisfying “Man vs. Machine” comedy engine.
• The Cast: Matthew Broderick still has that boyish charm. Seeing him reclaim it after an hour of playing a tired executive provides a massive emotional payoff.