It’s been almost 30 years since Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey was released to the public. With that much time passing between the last known adventures of this excellent duo, and the forthcoming release of Bill & Ted Face the Music, there’s no doubt going to be some changes to get used to with the returning characters and actors. But when it comes to William Sadler, best known as The Reaper in the Bill & Ted series, all it took was putting on the costume and makeup once again, and it was like those decades melted away.
In a recent interview, William Sadler best described the process as follows:
The spirit of the original movies is all there. All the fun came back instantly — not just for me, but for the Keanu and Alex too. My knees aren’t as good and the body is a little creakier, but the minute we put on the make-up and the robes it was as if The Reaper had been trapped in a bottle for 30 years, and as soon as we pulled the cork off he came flying out and started improvising just like I did back in Bogus Journey.
While it’s certainly been a moment since Bill & Ted Face the Music has been in development, at least since 2007 according to William Sadler’s remarks to NME, it’s encouraging to hear that something as simple as “getting back into the suit,” so to speak, has helped Sadler slip back into the game.
It also helps that, as far as the actor himself is concerned, playing Death is one of the roles he’s had the most fun playing in his entire career. With a natural enthusiasm to rejoin Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves for another time traveling adventure, Sadler’s happiness to return to this memorable role is hard to ignore.
Last seen playing their song of worldwide harmony in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, our heroes are now married and with a pair of daughters that are keeping the family brand of humor alive and well. That said, we still don’t know much about what this new adventure will contain, as the plot is still a bit under wraps. Then again, all we really needed to know about Bill & Ted Face the Music was that the original pair was back in the saddle again, and that William Sadler’s Death was along for the ride.
And much as the time has fallen away with William Sadler's costume and makeup on full display, we’d like to imagine it'll feel like being transported back in time when we finally get to see Bill & Ted Face the Music take the stage this summer, as the film is set to hit theaters on August 21.
