One of the panels we were most excited about was Bill & Ted Face the Music! Cast members Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and William Sadler, along with director Dean Parisot, writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson joined moderator, Kevin Smith. The group recounted their experiences from the prior films and talked about the new movie.
Smith starts by noting that although the panel is coming to everyone in a unique way, at least no one had to wait in the long lines in Hall H, which we do have to admit, is a small plus side to the online format! Unlike the rest of us, Smith had the chance to preview the movie before the panel and gushed on how “adorable” it is and admitted that it brought him to genuine tears. Considering he is a giant fan, we are inclined to take this word on it!
When asked how the writers created these two characters, Matheson revealed that he and Soloman began by playing the characters themselves back in 1983. They enjoyed these characters so much that it grew from there. When it came to casting the movie, they weren’t sure if they could see anyone else playing these roles. Funny enough, Matheson and Soloman were waiting in a McDonald’s line before finding out who would be in the movie, and they spotted two guys who they felt were the characters. As it turns out, it was Reeves and Winter! Talk about a small universe!
Reeves and Winter talked about how strenuous the very first audition process was and that they got to know each other during that time. The third film took a while to come together, and Winter commented that they wanted to make sure they kept the integrity of these characters. Sadler, who hilariously plays, Death, also mentioned how great it was to be back with the guys, and it felt like they never left.
The new storyline introduces the next generation with Weaving and Lundy-Paine playing Bill and Ted’s daughters. We have to say it was amusing that neither ladies had ever seen the films before auditioning for the movie. Weaving noted the most challenging part was trying to stay true to who Bill and Ted were but make it their own.
It is apparent from the panel that the cast and creators had a fantastic time making the new film and building on classic characters that have had such an impact on our culture. We can’t wait for it to come out and are looking forward to a most excellent adventure!
Check out both the full SDCC panel and the latest trailer below.
