William Sadler says 'Bill & Ted Face The Music' has the spirit of the originals

William Sadler has provided a tantalising update on Bill & Ted Face The Music, which will see the actor reprise his role as the Grim Reaper from Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey.

Sadler told NME that his version of the character is much more “mischievous” than it was 29-years ago, as he is way “sillier” and is a “freer” and “better actor” that now just takes things in his stride.

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At the same time, Sadler made sure to insist that Bill & Ted Face The Music still has “the spirit of the original movies.”

“All the fun came back instantly — not just for me, but for the Keanu [Reeves] and Alex [Winter] 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.”

Sadler is surprised that it took so long for the follow-up to make it the big-screen, as he was first told about Face The Music back in 2007. During this time George Carlin, the comedian who played time-traveller Rufus in both Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey, sadly died.

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But Sadler insists that writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon have handled his absence wonderfully, remarking, “One of the big hurdles was what do you do with the character of Rufus now that George Carlin has gone? But I honestly think that the writers handled that beautifully in the script and I think audiences will be pleasantly surprised.”

We’ll get to see what they do when Bill & Ted Face The Music is finally released on August 21.