Orion Pictures recently (and finally!) released BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC, which brings back the beloved duo of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves) as the best friends set out on a new adventure to find a song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe.
Director Ed Solomon just wrapped up his Reddit AMA in support of the film’s release this past weekend. Below are some fun facts he revealed on the BILL & TED universe:
George Carlin’s contribution to the original scripts for BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE – “George actually wrote the opening monologue to Excellent Adventure, because it was done in the reshoot and I and Chris weren’t there. He also wrote a few of the jokes at the end of the movie – like the credit card joke, I recall. He didn’t write stuff in the body of the film, though, just the reshoot stuff. Loved George.”
The final scene of BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC would have been different if not for the pandemic – “We wanted that – and planned to shoot it. had it written. But then COVID made it impossible, so we had to wrap it up on stage.”
The origin of Bill & Ted’s Iconic Catchphrases “Be Excellent To Each Other” and “Party On, Dudes!” were conceptualized over dinner with co-writer Chris Matheson – “Chris Matheson and I, at a diner in Westwood (LA), CA called Ships, after midnight on our first revision of the script [Excellent Adventure].”
The script changes from the original script to the final for BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC & the choice to make Billie & Thea female – “Tons. We started WAY smaller. used to end with Bill and Ted completely failing, and then going home and at the VERY end having the realization that they have now about 12 mins from the end. Also we added Dennis, and a bunch others. We started with the kids as boys, but they never worked and were always lame. When we changed them to girls the movie opened up in a big way.”
Casting William Sadler as DEATH in BILL & TED’S BOGUS Journey – William Sadler originally played Death on a show called Assaulted Nuts. Ed was asked if that made a difference in casting – “No – we didn’t know till later. still would’ve cast him though.”
Watch Bill & Ted Face the Music on streaming services now!