Bill and Ted almost befriended Hitler
With the possibility of a third Bill & Ted adventure seemingly off the table, we’re forced to satisfy ourselves by endlessly revisiting that first, radical film. That’s not the worst thing in the world. In addition to being the saving grace of hungover history teachers everywhere, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure is the perfect balance of dumb fun and loopy, time travel logic. But, according to the film’s writers, our two air-guitar-wielding heroes almost went on a very different kind of adventure. The kind of adventure that involves making friends with Hitler.
In honor of Keanu Reeves’ birthday, co-screenwriter Ed Solomon shared the four pages of hand-written notes he and Chris Matheson penned back in 1984 when they were outlining the story on spec. While the core plot remained intact—“Bill and Ted have a huge history project due. They’re failing…They go back into history and bring things and people back”—most of the specifics were different. For one thing, there was no phone booth. Instead, as the tentative title suggests, Bill and Ted traveled back in time with the aid of a “Time Van” they received from their 28-year-old school friend Rufus (who we’re guessing wouldn’t be played by George Carlin).