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INTERVIEW: William Sadler Embraces Death Once More in ‘Bill and Ted 3’

Published

4 years ago

August 28, 2020

If you had asked William Sadler a decade ago if he ever thought he’d don the robes and make-up to play Death in a new Bill and Ted movie, he would have told you definitely not.

It wasn’t that he was against the idea. He just never thought it would happen.

Then, about three years ago, screenwriter Ed Solomon contacted Sadler out of the blue and said he was writing a new Bill and Ted sequel and wondered if the actor would be willing to come back to the franchise.

“I said, yeah absolutely,” Sadler told iHorror in a recent interview for the film. “Then they had trouble getting backers and the studios didn’t want to go near it. They had the money and then the money fell through. It was just this odyssey until it was greenlit, until we were actually filming it. Then all the sudden everyone said, ‘Oh, of course, that’s a great idea.’ I guess it was meant to be.”

With that studio green light, however, there was some trepidation about stepping back into a role that Sadler had not played in almost three decades. It was time to break out the old DVD and remind himself what his version of Death looked like and how he acted..

Then, when he arrived on set, something magical happened for the actor.

“As soon as I started doing the Czechoslovakian accent and got the makeup on and the robes, it was like I’d been carrying him around in my pocket for ages and I could finally let him out,” Said said with a laugh. “He just took off. It was great. It was not hard to slip back into that character.”

It had been almost 30 years since William Sadler had played the role of Death.

Sadler is no stranger to slipping into unusual characters, and he’s very good at it. The character of Death comes with an added layer of camouflage, however. Hiding behind the skeletal makeup of the Grim Reaper has its advantages and offers a kind of freedom in its anonymity.

It was fun and exciting for the actor who says there were some people on the production, and particularly the new cast, who probably never knew what his actual face looked like while they were filming.

His time on the production ultimately felt like a reunion of sorts, working with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter again and seeing how they’d changed and grown as actors in the interim. This is to say nothing of the new cast members who, Sadler says, were brilliant.

“The actors, all these new faces; it was exciting to be there for me,” he explained. “Samara [Weaving] and Brigette [Lundy-Paine], I mean, they were just delightful. That can’t have been easy for them either. Step into a franchise that started before they were born. The rest of us have been on this bus for a long time and they were brand new shiny actors. I thought they were terrific. They were fun to work with.”

Sadler was impressed with both Samara Weaving and Brigette Lundy-Paine in the film.

Now that the movie has officially premiered, the actor hopes that the themes of the film work their way into the minds of those who see it, and that maybe receiving those messages will help heal some of what’s going on in the world.

“We had no idea [while filming] the world was going to be hit with this pandemic and everything else that has happened to this country in the meantime,” Sadler said. “The message is potent and timely. We have to pull together. We can get through this but this is how you do it. The world is really just a small town. You work together and you can get through anything. Be excellent to each other. Wouldn’t it be something if Bill and Ted actually saved the universe?”

That would be something, indeed, William Sadler.

Bill and Ted Face the Music is out today in theaters and on VOD platforms. Check out the trailer below and party on, dudes!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

10 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

11 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

13 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.