Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter don suits for a 78-minute adventure in a new image from Bill & Ted Face the Music. Nearly thirty years after their last movie, the classic musician-slacker duo are finally returning this summer for the long-awaited Bill & Ted 3. Written by Bill & Ted 1 and 2 writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon and directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest), the sequel picks up with the eponymous duo in the present-day. No longer carefree teens and not quite as dim-witted as they once were (emphasis on “quite”), Bill and Ted are now middle-aged dads struggling to fulfill their destiny and write a song that will save the world.

With its August release date still a ways off, it’s expected the Bill & Ted Face the Music trailer will arrive within the next two months (if not sooner). Ahead of then, the film’s marketing has already started, with the older Bill appearing in Walmart’s Super Bowl 2020 commercial and the first-look image of Bill and Ted’s daughters - Thea (Samara Weaving) and Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) - dropping in January. Now, another photo has made its way online, along with some additional details about the film’s plot.

The latest Bill & Ted 3 photo, which you can see below, shows the older Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) dressed up in their best tuxedos for some as-yet unknown occasion. In an interview with Empire, Parisot also talked about the movie’s story, which kicks off when a visitor from the future (Kristen Schaal) warns Bill and Ted they have less than eighty minutes to write their hit song and save not just earth, but the whole universe (so no pressure). Here’s his full quote:

It’s encouraging to hear Bill & Ted 3 will stick to the tightly-paced ninety minute (or so) format of the first two movies, rather than trying to fill an entire two hours or more with Bill and Ted’s misadventures. The film should be equally packed with characters and cameos, starting with Weaving (fresh off her breakout turns from Mayhem and Ready or Not) and Atypical’s Lundy-Paine as the heroes’ daughters, who may or may not take after their dads. Kid Cudi is also playing a key role as, well, himself, along with Jillian Bell as Bill & Ted’s families’ therapist and Barry’s Anthony Carrigan as the movie’s mystery villain. Elsewhere, Hal Landon Jr. and Amy Stoch will reprise their roles as Ted’s strict father Jonathan and Bill’s step-mother Missy, with William Sadler similarly back as Death from 1991’s Bogus Adventure.

“We’ve gone from a homework assignment to saving all space and time. We bypassed all those possible traumas in the middle. They have an hour and 18 minutes. So they’re in trouble. And let’s say that they have to travel all over the place to try and figure it out."

Of course, a few actors from the previous two Bill & Ted movies have passed away over the last thirty years (like George Carlin as Rufus, who hasn’t been recast for the film), so it won’t be all happy reunions for the time-traveling buds. On a related note: Parisot and his writers will no doubt keep things light-hearted, but it’s possible Bill & Ted 3 will also have some unexpected maturity and allow its goofball leads to grow a little along the way. Recent comedy sequels like Jay and Silent Bob Reboot have demonstrated it’s possible to combine silliness and poignance, allowing their slacker heroes to evolve while remaining true to their dorky selves. Should Bill & Ted Face the Music do the same, it could prove to be a most excellent adventure indeed.

Source: Empire Online

  • Bill and Ted 3 Release Date: 2020-08-28