Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure was not supposed to be a franchise. The comedy movie was released in 1989. It was an American comedy science fiction movie series created by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson. The film revolves around two characters Ted Theodore and Preston Esq, which was played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter respectively. The two metalhead friends travel through time.
The franchise has released two movies so far. The first one is Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), the second one is Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991). Whereas, the franchise is coming with the upcoming movie Bill and Ted Face the Music in 2020. Scott Kroopf produces the series. The franchise included a live-action television series in the year 1992, animated television series, video games, and comic books. The creator of the series Solomon and Matheson never dreamed that their screenplay would become a movie. Solomon shared that the film was a fun burst of energy and laughter. The affable time-travel and goofy comedy struck a chord with audiences. The viewers endeared themselves to the story’s lack of cynicism and Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves’ charming performances. The production house demanded the next sequel of the film immediately after the release of the first one. So they created Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey in 1991, but the film did not do well in the box office. Now after over a decade later the third sequel of the series Bill and Ted is coming with the title Bill and Ted 3.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure in 1989
In the movie, the two friends Ted and Bill, are trying to write a history report. A guide arrives from 2688 and provides the friends with a time machine to meet the historical figure and learn about the historical events. So they try to complete their historical project because if they fail, Ted’s father will transfer him to the Alaskan military academy, which will destroy a Utopian future around their music.
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey in 1991
In the Bogus Journey, a resident of Utopia named Chuck De Nomolos is sick of it. And he sends the robot of Ted and Bill into the past to kill Ted and Bill so that he can create a future based on his ideals. When Bill and Ted are killed, Grim Reaper comes and allows them to stop the robots and De Nomolos before the Battle of the Bands. He said to them that they must rescue the princesses and start their musical journey.
Bill and Ted Face the Music in 2020
The team has been working on the script since 2010. They spent several years preparing the screenplay. Solomon shared that they want to create a proper sequel that does not look like a cash-grab. The team of actors and the writers are the same as before. Matheson and Solomon write the script, and the cast involves Winter and Reeves. The film got a green light at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival and the production scheduled the release date on 28th August 2020. However, the film will be released in some selected theatres and will stream as an on-demand video. The two friends are now in their middle age, and they yet have their famous song to write, which will unite the universe. Ed Solomon, the co-writer of the film, reveals that they tried to get the vision of both characters and how their lives unfold during the writing process. He and Matheson attempted to root the story with emotional truth. One of the writers shared in an interview that they were enjoying and laughing throughout the process of writing. Still, they also tried to make it real and close to the character who they are and where they are in their life. What is the character’s emotional truth? And could they make a comedy concept with their rooted emotional reality? They wanted to explore the rooted disappointment that happens when you haven’t lived your adolescent dream, or when you are facing adult reality.
He added, they wrote the first two sequences when they were young and immature. The Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey were adolescent boy fantasies. They are adults now in their 50s, and they have had losses, successes, loves, loves lost, and dreams that were dashed. And they want to show the life of Bill and Ted with all reality and not as teenage boys anymore. He also shared that the second part of the sequel that is the Bogus Journey was not written for the right reasons, and that is one of the reasons the movie did not work. They said they made that movie because the studio was pressuring them to create the second series as soon as possible. The original name of the film was Bill and Ted Go To Hell, which later changed into the Bogus Journey.
Solomon and Matheson started working on the third sequel from 2009. They wrote the script together and prepared a couple of drafts. And when they were finally ready with their script, the two-faced their first roadblock, the studio refused the script and did not move forward to reboot the franchise. The studio said the movie is not going to make financial success and also they did not like the idea of middle-aged Bill and Ted. The project finally got the right financiers because of John Wick’s franchise and success of Toy Story 4. The producer of all the three films, Scott Kroopf shared that Bill and Ted 3 were worth making. Both Winter and Solomon agreed that the development hell provided them with a lot of time to think about the script more and to make it even better. In this movie, the writers also involved Bill and Ted’s daughters Thea and Billie, who helped their father to save the world. The movie was supposed to be a summer release under the production studio Orion Picture and MGM. Due to the pandemic COVID-19 that release date postponed, Kropf revealed that they had done their first audience screen test before the coronavirus hit. The tea rescheduled the release of the movie on 28th August 2020. Solomon summed up the whole interview by saying that in this divided time when everyone is so cynical they are presenting these guys who are not cynical or divided. They are trying to spread a message that is not meant with comedy. They are not sure how people will receive it, but for them, it is the right time.
Jackson Henry. I’m a writer living in USA. I am a fan of technology, arts, and reading. I’m also interested in writing and education. You can read my blog with a click on the button above.
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