This 1989 Keanu Reeves movie accidentally copied a major Doctor Who plot point.

In the 1980s, the concept of time traveling was quite popular, especially because of 1985’s Back to the Future. So naturally, the writers of Keanu Reeves’ 1989 movie Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure steered away from the idea of using a car as a time machine. Instead, they chose a phone booth, not knowing that Doctor Who (1963), the movie that popularised time travel movies, already used a phone booth as a time machine.

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Although the movie accidentally copied a major element from Doctor Who, it still managed to become a cult classic. The film was a commercial success and served as a stepping stone for actor Keanu Reeves. Thanks to this movie, Reeves became a well-known name around the world.

Keanu Reeves’ Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure accidentally copied Doctor Who (1963)

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Integrating the concept of time traveling in movies was first popularised by 1963’s Doctor Who. Many years later, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), featuring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. copied this idea but the writer of the movie, Chris Matheson, once explained that it was an accident as they were trying to avoid copying 1985’s Back to the Future (via GamesRadar),

“Rufus was originally their friend. He was a 27-year-old high school junior and he had a dog named Rufus. He drove them through time in his 1969 Chevy van. That got changed along the way, basically because of Back to the Future. Director Stephen Herek had the idea of a phone booth and all of us were so clueless and knew nothing about Doctor Who – It turned out to be pretty good idea. It worked.”

Initially, they planned to use a 1969 Chevrolet van as a time machine, in fact, in the early drafts the film was called Bill & Ted’s Time Van. The idea was dropped as it was too similar to the DMC DeLorean used in the Back to the Future trilogy.

Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure became a cult classic

Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

At the time of its release, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure received positive reviews and grossed $40 million against a $10 million budget. Although the idea of a phone booth was copied, the film managed to perfectly execute the plot while maintaining its humourous tone. The film focuses on Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves), who decide to travel through time to assemble historical figures for their high school history presentation.

Thanks to its success, two sequels were made: Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). The role of Ted became Reeves’ breakthrough role as he gained popularity for his acting abilities. By 1994, Reeves solidified his place as a talented star in the industry with his work in Speed.