It feels like Bill & Ted have really just been in the air recently.  My twitter feed the past few weeks has been ripe with references to both Excellent Adventure and Bogus Journey.  The saturation got to the point where I even rewatched the former film earlier this week and found it surprisingly sharp. So it's with no degree of displeasure that I report that there appears to be some forward momentum on Bill & Ted 3.

Several years ago we learned that a script for the film had indeed been completed by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon but when you're trying to get a third installment of a twentysomething-year-old franchise off the ground that's the least of your problems (especially considering the fact that the original two films, while profitable, weren't box office juggernauts).  But, according to Alex Winter, there's some real movement on the project, which will be directed by Galaxy Quest helmer Dean Parisot (if it ever happens, I'm optimistic, but this is hardly a green light announcement).  Head below for more on Bill & Ted 3.  And yes, Keanu Reeves will be in it too. 

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Image via Orion Pictures

Winter told Yahoo that just almost everything is in place:

"The script’s been finished for a while, but comedy is so specific. We’re in that world where producers are on, financiers are on and we’re just working and reworking the script.”

But perhaps the most encouraging news comes from a creative angle, not a business one. This installment won't be gunning to rebrand the past:

“But it’s a Bill & Ted movie, that’s what it is. It’s for the fans of Bill & Ted. It fits very neatly in the [series]. It’s not going to feel like a reboot. The conceit is really funny: What if you’re middle-aged, haven’t really grown up and you’re supposed to have saved the world and maybe, just maybe, you kinda haven’t?”

Winter goes on to sort of lament how fans will now be frustrated by the film's protracted preproduction schedule, which would be a valid complaint if he weren't the one dangling the carrot in front of our faces.  Regardless, I remain optimistic.

Bill & Ted 3