Bill & Ted Face the Music gets surprise cameo from the late George Carlin

The late, great George Carlin will get a cameo in the upcoming Bill and Ted Face the Music movie.

Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET

Bill and Ted aren’t the only beloved characters returning in the upcoming Bill & Ted Face the Music movie. None other than Rufus, played by the late actor/comedian George Carlin, gets a cameo in the new film starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter.

Carlin played the time travel guide and mentor Rufus in both the previous films Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), and also supplied Rufus’ voice in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures animated TV series (1990). Carlin died of heart failure in 2008.

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During the Bill and Ted Face the Music panel for Comic-Con at Home on Saturday, moderator Kevin Smith let it slip Carlin was indeed in the movie. Smith got to see the final cut of the new film in preparation for the panel. 

“Seeing George pop up for a moment was, like, everything,” Smith said during the panel that included writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, director Dean Parisot, and actors Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, William Sadler, Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving.

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Details on whether Carlin will be added digitally or if the filmmakers are using unseen footage from the previous other films is unknown. Either way, it’s great news for those who miss Carlin’s snarky mentor Rufus. 

When fans learned of the Carlin cameo, they took to social media showing their support. “Kevin said something about George Carlin in the Bill & Ted 3 panel and I just started crying,” one tweeted. 

Bill & Ted Face the Music is coming to on-demand and theaters Sept. 1.