Bill and Ted Face the Music: New release date, trailer, cast

Bill and Ted 3 - Bill and Ted Face the Music
(Image credit: Orion Pictures)

Get ready to party on, dudes because Bill and Ted Face the Music is arriving via phone booth on PVOD and in open movie theaters this week.

Bill & Ted Face the Music is the third film in the franchise, following Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991). Bill and Ted 3 continues the most excellent adventures of beloved time-traveling slackers William "Bill" S. Preston, Esq. (Alex Winter) and Theodore "Ted" Logan (Keanu Reeves). 

The first movie follows the ne'er-do-well high school students using a time machine, with the help of future being Rufus (the late George Carlin), to pass a history class presentation. If they don't, their band Wyld Stallyns will fall apart and alter the course of humankind. In the sequel, they are pursued by evil robot duplicates and face the Grim Reaper (William Sadler), while trying to make it to the Battle of the Bands.

In Bill & Ted Face the Music, Reeves and Winter reprise their roles, older if only just a little wiser. They are dads, though — most excellent!

Here's everything you need to know about Bill & Ted Face the Music.

Bill & Ted 3 release date

Bill & Ted Face the Music is now scheduled for release on August 28, 2020 (seven days earlier than planned) via premium video on demand and in any theaters that are currently open.. Star Alex Winter announced the news while unveiling a new behind-the-scenes video from the movie. 

The PVOD rental will likely cost around $19.99 and will be available through most major digital marketplaces, such as Amazon, iTunes, Vudu and others.

Bill & Ted Face the Music was initially scheduled for release on August 21. However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many movie theaters remain closed. Some drive-ins and smaller venues are open. 

The third film has been in the works since 2010, when Reeves teased that a script was being written. A year later, Winter confirmed it was finished. In 2012, Dean Parisot was attached to direct. But over the next few years, Bill & Ted 3 stalled, though both stars continued to say that it was still going to happen. At the 2017 New York City Comic Convention, Reeves announced the official title, Bill & Ted Face the Music. Filming took place in summer 2019.

Bill & Ted 3 trailer

Along with the new release date and rollout, a new Bill & Ted Face the Music trailer dropped. 

It finds the titular, uh, heroes 25 years older, with families and teenage daughters. After all these years, they still haven't written the song that supposedly unites and saves the world. So, they come up with a plan to travel to the future this time and steal the song from their future selves. Isn't that the slacker credo: Why do the work when somebody's already done it for you?

The first Bill & Ted 3 trailer arrived on June 9, or 6/9 — which is, of course, the duo's favorite number. 

Bill & Ted Face the Music cast

The two leads are both returning: Keanu Reeves as Theodore "Ted" Logan and Alex Winter as William "Bill" S. Preston, Esq.

Also reprising his role from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is William Sadler as Grim Reaper. 

Joining the Bill & Ted 3 cast are two young actresses who are playing the duo's daughters: Brigette Lundy-Paine as Billie "Little Bill" Logan and Samara Weaving as Theodora/Thea "Little Ted" Preston.

The roles of Bill and Ted's wives have been recast. Jayma Mays is Princess Joanna Preston, Bill's wife, while Erinn Hayes is Princess Elizabeth Logan, Ted's wife. 

There are several notable cameos and appearances, including Beck Bennett as Deacon Logan, Ted's younger brother; Holland Taylor as The Great Leader, the most powerful person in the universe; and Kristen Schaal as Kelly, a messenger from the future who has a warning.

Bill & Ted Face the Music plot

Here's Bill & Ted Face the Music's official synopsis:

"Now enduring the monotony of middle-aged life, William "Bill" S. Preston, Esq. and Theodore "Ted" Logan are warned by a visitor from the future of the need for them to create a song in 78 minutes that will save all life on Earth and the entire universe. The pair work with their families, old friends, famous musicians, and each other to complete the task."

In 2017, Reeves summarized the plot of Bill & Ted while making a guest appearance on The Graham Norton Show. He said, "Basically, they're supposed to write a song to save the world, and they haven't done that. The pressure of having to save the world, their marriages are falling apart, their kids are kind of mad at them, and then someone comes from the future and tells them if they don't write the song it's just not the world, it's the universe. So they have to save the universe because time is breaking apart."

Kelly Woo
Streaming Editor

Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.