The Original Script Pages For BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE Comes With an Inspiring Backstory
It's hard to believe that it has been almost 30 years since Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure was released. I love that movie so much. The story of two teenagers, Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan, traveling through time in a phone booth so they could deliver the most excellent history report, was such a fun and ridiculous adventure. The movie just radiates so much joy, happiness, and humor.
This movie helped launch the careers of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter and they're currently trying to get a third movie off the ground, which would be amazing.
The film was co-written by Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson, and their initial first draft of the script was handwritten on yellow notepad paper in a coffee shop. Matheson recently shared those first script pages online and he also used the opportunity to tell the inspiring and charming backstory of how they brought this concept into the world.
Remember, these guys were struggling writers at the time and all they had was a vision and a dream just hoping that someone would read it. Here's the story:
I promised this to some people a while ago (sorry for the delay, had to get them down from storage again). These are very first pages from the original, hand-written draft of Bill & Ted, written in a coffee shop by Chris Matheson & me in what now seems like another life. 1/ pic.twitter.com/yjcnf27QPS
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) February 13, 2018
Writing it was never anything other than a pure joy. It was hard, when in the mindset of these guys, not to feel the kind of ebullience and generosity of spirit that they embody. And we knew absolutely nothing about so-called "rules" of writing. 2/ pic.twitter.com/OafxFGCT90
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) February 13, 2018
We were guided by one thing: what made us laugh? I remember at one point looking across the table from each other and saying "Maybe someday somebody might even READ this script!" We had NO idea that they'd be so beautifully embodied by the great @alxwinter and Keanu Reeves. 3/ pic.twitter.com/pZsB8GC7Gq
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) February 13, 2018
And of course, George Carlin, who we all so dearly miss. To me, the fans of this movie are like family. We never thought it would even get MADE, let alone find a home with people. 4/ pic.twitter.com/jBC6p7qWFB
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) February 13, 2018
Chris and I have often said to each other: if all we did in our career was put the phrase "Be Excellent To Each Other" out into the world, that wouldn't be such a bad thing. Sometimes when work is tough, or things don't land the way I'd hoped, I think about that and feel ok. 5/5 pic.twitter.com/GQ5Y3jDFDU
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) February 13, 2018
I love that story and I found it quite touching. The phrase "Be Excellent To Each Other" has become a positive motto to live by.
These films may come off as being fun silly comedies, but they really are so much more than that. They played a small role in helping define a generation and tapped into some emotions that I think a lot of people growing up during that time could relate with.
This just goes to show that you never know what can happen. If you put in the work to develop and create an idea, the unexpected might just happen.