At this point, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure has become widely-regarded as a quintessential classic of the 1980s. The time-traveling adventure of the two dimwitted metalheads has developed a cultlike following in the years since it debuted in theaters, and the story's endlessly optimistic tone played a principal role in that legacy. However, the movie almost had a far more depressing ending, as Bill S. Preston Esq. actor Alex Winter recently opened up and explained that it would've concluded with the Bill and Ted merely going to prom after presenting their history report in class. Winter said:
We just bring the historical figures back to our classroom. And Keanu just sat on the desk, and watched them kind of talk about who they were. Then we'd go to the prom, and that's the end. Even while we were shooting it, we were kind of depressed.
As fans of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure already know, that's not how things concluded out in the end. After realizing that the film ended on a decidedly down note by comparison to everything that preceded it, the cast and crew went back to shoot a far more triumphant ending, complete with a concert-esque history presentation and Rufus's exposition of their eventual rise to heroism. And, of course, we got one of the best on-screen depictions of Abraham Lincoln in cinematic history. Check it out, below.
Though the change was eventually made to the ending of the first film, Alex Winter's remarks to EW actually make sense when we look at the franchise as a whole. Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey begins with both of our heroes living depressing lives that don't live up to the promise of greatness suggested by Rufus at the conclusion of the original. It arguably works for the comparatively darker style of Bogus Journey, but one could also make the easy case that Excellent Adventure needs its hopeful and boisterous ending to work as well as it does on a tonal level.
Now it's a question of whether or not we will see that Bill and Ted story continue into the future. Rumors of Bill and Ted 3 (a.k.a Bill and Ted Face the Music) have persisted for years, with several false starts getting in the way of production. In fact, the most recent hurdle for Bill and Ted 3 to get over has been the issue of financing, now that they have an actual script and a director in the form of Galaxy Quest's Dean Parisot. There's a lot of fan enthusiasm to see this third installment come to life, and much of that stems back to the pitch-perfect ending of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.
On that note, CinemaBlend will bring you more information about the future of the Bill and Ted franchise (as well as any new updates related to the first two films) as more details are made available to us. There's no word yet as to when we may see the third movie, but for now, you can head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to catch yourself up on all of the films set to debut this year. Party on, dudes!
