With Bill and Ted officially set to make a most triumphant return for Bill & Ted Face the Music, now comes word on another familiar face who’ll be joining the duo in their third big-screen outing.
After many fans have asked the question, the official Bill & Ted Twitter account has revealed that William Sadler will indeed be back as Death:
For those who have been asking, @Wm_Sadler will totally be reprising his role! pic.twitter.com/jPDZyseotu
— Bill & Ted 3 (@BillandTed3) March 25, 2019
As a character, Sadler’s Grim Reaper appeared in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey when the Wyld Stallyns duo end up killed off by their evil robot doppelgangers. From there, a brilliant set of sequences play out as Bill and Ted engage in a slew of games with Death in order to be brought back to life so that they can save their princesses and put a stop to Chuck De Nomolos’ plans to rewrite history. Of course, by this point Death is helping out with the mission to save the day.
Now while Death was a key part of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, one character who was key to both Bogus Journey and its predecessor, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, is Rufus. Played by George Carlin, Rufus became the mentor to Bill and Ted as he helped to make sure that the all was well with the duo and their path to rock superstardom (and a utopian future for the planet) runs smoothly. Sadly, the brilliant Carlin passed away in 2008.
When asked whether Rufus may be recast for the threequel, it was revealed that Rufus’ absence will play a key part in the picture:
He’s so deeply missed by all who worked with him on the previous two films. His character will not be recast, but his absence will be a part of the whole third movie – including what is possibly the most emotional scene of the film.
— Bill & Ted 3 (@BillandTed3) March 25, 2019
Currently, the plan is to start shooting Bill & Ted Face the Music this summer ahead of an August 2020 release. Galaxy Quest’s Dean Parisot is on directing duties, with a script in place from the first two movies’ scribes Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon.
