Another classic science fiction franchise is getting the "reboot" treatment, but its biggest star could be even harder to recast than William Shatner's Captain Kirk. A new Bill And Ted movie finally got the green light — probably from the same people at MGM who thought that War Games sequel was a good idea — and it could show up in the next couple of years. The biggest question: where are they going to find an actor who can bring the Keanu? Click through for details.
As in the original, Bill and Ted are high-school students who are in danger of flunking unless they create a "full presentation" on the subjects of all their classes. They travel through time and meet the historical figures they're supposed to have learned about, including Gandhi and Calamity Jane this time around.
The main differences are that the phone Bill and Ted use to travel through time isn't an old-school phone booth, but something "funkier." Their band is called the Atomic Gorillas instead of the Wyld Stallyns. The script is supposedly full of "hip" pop culture references for today's kids, like Bill and Ted worrying they're going to miss The Dark Knight. No clue whether there's a George Carlin character this time around, or who might play him. There are a lot fewer "Whoas."
I was a lot more excited about a new Bill And Ted when I briefly thought it would feature Keanu and Alex back in their original roles, playing middle-aged stoners who have made a mess of their lives in spite of all Carlin's predictions.
If we have to have a remake, maybe it can do something new and interesting with the concept — like instead of being the saviors of a future world, Bill and Ted are actually patsies, given a time machine by someone who wants to wreck history but doesn't want his/her fingerprints all over it. And then Bill and Ted have to undo all the damage they've done. That would be totally excellent.
