For fans of the first two Bill & Ted movies, the fact that a third one is finally on the way is a dream come true. In addition to the return of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the two title roles, the film will see the return of some other popular characters from the earlier movies, as well as the addition of entirely new ones.
William Sadler played Death in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and he will be back for Bill & Ted Face the Music. While we have yet to see anything official showing off the returning characters from the film, Bill & Ted franchise writer Ed Solomon recently shared a picture of Sadler off the set, but in full makeup as Death. Check it out.
It's a pretty funny image, to see William Sadler, in full makeup, but otherwise just wearing normal clothes, while he's grabbing his lunch from craft services. Thanks to the makeup, he honestly doesn't look a day older than he did when he filmed Bogus Journey almost 30 years ago.
In Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey the two title characters are killed, and they meet the personification of Death, played by William Sadler. In a take off of the 1957 classic The Seventh Seal, the pair agree to play a game with death in return for their lives. However, rather than the classic game of chess that the characters play in the older film. Here, they play Battleship and Twister. Bill and Ted aren't exactly chess players.
Eventually, Death actually becomes part of Bill and Ted's band Wyld Stallyns.
Of course, where we'll find Death in the new movie is anybody's guess. Bill and Ted Face the Music will see our heroes as middle aged guys with families, having completely failed to become the catalysts for global change as they were told they would become. For a franchise that's been on the verge of getting a third entry for quite some time, this one seems like a story that could not have been properly told before now, though that's part of what makes it so exciting.
What does this mean for Death? Who knows? Is he still hanging out with Bill and Ted or has he gone his own way? He could be back to ferrying souls into the afterlife or maybe he's settled down into suburban life himself.
It seemed pretty likely that we'd see William Sadler back as Death for Bill and Ted Face the Music. The actor had made no secret of his desire to return to the role long before a third film was ever a sure thing. He was also an incredibly popular character in his movie so fans certainly wanted to see him back as well.
Bill and Ted Face the Music will be in theaters in August of 2020.
