Stills From Much Ado About Nothing With Joss Whedon Regulars

Here are some charming stills from Joss Whedon’s big screen adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic comedy MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, and it looks like a big ol’ Whedon reunion!

Here we see Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker, best known for their tragic love story in ANGEL, rekindle their relationship as lovers engaged in a merry war, Beatrice and Benedick.

And here we spy fellow Buffy alumni  Nathan Fillion and Tom Lenk as bumbling lawmen Dogberry and Verges.

To show just how many of the Shakespearean cast are graduates from the Whedon-verse, do checketh this out. eth.

Amy Acker (Angel, Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse) as Beatrice
Alexis Denisof  (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, The Avengers) as Benedick
Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity, Buffy, Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog) as Dogberry
Clark Gregg (The Avengers) as Leonato
Reed Diamon (Dollhouse) as Don Pedro
Fran Kranz (Dollhouse, Cabin in the Woods) as Claudio
Sean Maher (Firefly, Serenity) as Don John
Tom Lenk (Buffy, Angel, Cabin in the Woods) as Verges

So our heroic director is among friends, as well as familiar surroundings, as the micro budgeted flick was filmed at his own house in Santa Monica. The fanboys’ favourite said that this was ‘A love letter to the text, to the cast, even to the house it’s shot in.” He added, “All (involved are) dedicated to the idea that this story bears retelling, that this dialogue is as fresh and intoxicating as any being written, and that the joy of working on a passion project surrounded by dear friends, admired colleagues and an atmosphere of unabashed rapture far outweighs their hilariously miniature paychecks.’

What a dude.

Whedon should revel in the project, as romantic entanglements and incredibly witty dialougue are his specialties. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is one of The Bard’s most revered comedies and the Buffy creator will no doubt do a superb job. It was last bought to cinemas by Kenneth Branagh in his all-star 1993 adaptation, with Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves (yes, really) among others. That was a colourful period piece, where as Whedon’s version will be set modern day and shot in black and white.

The cast and director’s dedicated fan-base ensure that this will find an eager audience, while fans of Willy Shakes will no doubt be intrigued to see how his comedy of errors will translate. Unless it finds a big-ass distributer at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it will premiere, MUCH ADO may not find itself in multiplexes. But is that really a bad thing? A more appreciative audience would be found inside indie-cinemas the world over. Either way, this is the perfect project after THE AVENGERS, and at this point, Whedon has got success written all over him. In ink. From a quill. By Shakespeare. (William.) (Shakespeare.) Here’s a couple more.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter     The Film Stage