Bill & Ted Face the Music pays beautiful tribute to George Carlin

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are back for the third entry in the Bill & Ted series with BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC this August. And today Death himself, William Sadler says the new movie not only captures the spirit of the original movies but pays beautiful tribute to the late George Carlin as well.

Specifically, Sadler says:

One of the big hurdles was what do you do with the character of Rufus now that George Carlin has gone? But I honestly think that the writers handled that beautifully in the script and I think audiences will be pleasantly surprised.

He then says:

For years, I kept hearing from Alex and one of the co-writers, Ed Solomon. They kept telling me that [a reboot] was coming and letting me know what stage the script was at. It’s been in the pipeline since 2007 and I was really surprised that it took as long as it did for the powers that be to say ‘OK. That sounds like a good idea. Let’s make a third movie to see where these guys are. I don’t know if you could tell from watching Bogus Journey, but it was such a giggle to get to put on that Czechoslovakian accent and just be silly. I don’t get a chance to be genuinely silly very often, so it didn’t take any convincing to bring me back.

He adds:

The spirit of the original movies is all there. All the fun came back instantly — not just for me, but for the Keanu and Alex too. My knees aren’t as good and the body is a little creakier, but the minute we put on the make-up and the robes it was as if The Reaper had been trapped in a bottle for 30 years, and as soon as we pulled the cork off he came flying out and started improvising just like I did back in Bogus Journey. I’m not sure I understand the character any better, but I think I’m much sillier now than I was then and take things more in my stride. I’m a freer, better actor now so it was great to get back into the role with 30 years more experience under my belt.

The new film is all set to be directed by Dean Parisot (GALAXY QUEST) with the franchise's original creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon penning the script. Reeves and Winter will be joined in the new film by Samara Weaving as Bill's daughter Thea Preston and Brigette Lundy-Paine as Ted's daughter Billie Logan. Add to that, William Sadler is back as Death and Anthony Carrigan could very well be playing his son, Death Jr. The new film is directed by Dean Parisot (GALAXY QUEST) from a screenplay written by the franchise's original creators Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC starring Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine and William Sadler hits on August 21, 2020.