Fans of the Bill & Ted franchise may have thought the duo's time-travelling adventures had come to an end, but when news broke of Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves signing up to reprise their roles of Bill S. Preston and Ted 'Theodore' Logan respectively, it didn't take long for the excitement to start to build.
Today (December 18th, 2019), fans got a first look at both Winter and Reeves in character, having taken up the mantle as Bill and Ted once more. The film still released clearly shows the aging which has taken place in the decades since the last movie dropped (back in 1991), tying in perfectly with the small amount of detail we've been given surrounding the plot.
Bill & Ted Face The Music finds the best friends in a modern world, both middle-aged and yet to fulfil their "rock and roll destiny". When a visitor from the future warns that humanity will come to an end, unless their song makes it to the masses, they're forced to work with their daughters (played by Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving) - and some historical figures and music legends - to bring peace to the world; and harmony to the universe.
William Sadler, who has played the Grim Reaper in the series, will be making a return, with rapper Kid Cudi joining the Bill & Ted family in an undisclosed role for the 2020 release.
Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon are back, having written what they hope will be another 'excellent adventure' for the pair, with Dean Parisot as director. Scott Kroopf, Alex Lebovici and Steve Ponce all serve as producers.
The Bill & Ted series is one that kickstarted with Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure back in 1989, before the sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey arrived in 1991. A number of different spin-offs have made their way to fruition, including an animated TV series - which featured the voices of both Winter and Reeves - as well as a live-action TV series, video games and comic books.
The first two films worked on a combined budget of $30 million, bringing back more than double that amount ($78.5 million) when combined box office takings were calculated. Filmmakers will be hoping to replicate that success with their third big screen entry into the series.
Work on that third instalment has been in progress since 2010, with writer Solomon wanting to ensure that the sequel was perfectly aligned with those that had come before it, rather than looking like a simple cash-grab. It was at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival when negotiations finally led to a green light.
Whether or not the Bill & Ted humour will work in a modern world is yet to be seen; it's going to be very interesting to see if the audience that helped make the first two flicks such a success will stick around for a third outing.
Bill & Ted Face The Music comes to cinemas nationwide on August 21st, 2020 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
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