Tom Beasley hops on a Zoom call with Death himself, as William Sadler chats about returning to the black robes and scythe for Bill & Ted Face the Music…
In 1991, a slacker comedy sequel decided to take inspiration from Ingmar Bergman, giving birth to one of the most memorable comic creations of recent years. William Sadler’s take on the Grim Reaper was the defining element of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and, to this day, is the role that Sadler – a seasoned character actor – is most associated with. Not bad for a strange parody of The Seventh Seal.
Almost 30 years later, Bill and Ted are back, with Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves embracing every “whoa” and “dude” of their characters all over again. Given the impact that Sadler had last time around, it was a no-brainer for the 70-year-old to get back into the make-up chair to be the Reaper again.
With Bill & Ted Face the Music now arriving in cinemas and on VOD, Sadler sat down for a chat with Flickering Myth to discuss the gestation period of this project, how much he loves playing Death and whether he’d be happy to keep returning to this role for the rest of his career.
The stakes are higher than ever for the time-travelling exploits of William “Bill” S. Preston Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore “Ted” Logan (Keanu Reeves). The now middle-aged best friends set out on a new adventure to seek the song that will set their world right and bring harmony in the universe, with the help of their daughters (Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine), a new batch of historical figures and a few music legends. The film also stars Kristen Schaal, Erinn Hayes, Jayma Mays, Holland Taylor, Kid Cudi, Anthony Carrigan, Jillian Bell, Beck Bennett, William Sadler, Hal Landon Jr., and Amy Stoch.
Bill & Ted Face the Music will be released in the USA on demand and in cinemas from 28 August, with the UK release due on 23 September.
Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.
