It’s only been a few weeks since Joss Whedon finished principal photography for next summer’s epic Marvel superhero adventure, The Avengers. He could have taken some time off to rest and plot his cinematic takeover of the world, but instead, he and a small cast [including Whedon stalwarts Nathan Fillion, Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker] and crew went out and filmed an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing – in twelve days!
The low-budget black-and-white film should be finished by spring – when it will play the festival circuit, according to Whedon, ‘because it is fancy.’
The full press release follows the jump.
Santa Monica, CA (October 24th, 2011)
Bellwether Pictures proudly announces the completion of principal photography on
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, a modern version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy
adapted and directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel’s upcoming THE AVENGERS, “Dr.
Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog”). Filmed in just 12 days entirely on location in exotic Santa
Monica, the film features a stellar cast of beloved (or soon to be beloved) actors – some
of them veterans of Shakespearean theater, some completely new to the form. But all
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.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is the first feature from Bellwether, a micro-studio
created by Joss Whedon and Kai Cole for the production of small, independent narratives
for all media, embracing a DIY ethos and newer technologies for, in this particular case, a
somewhat older story.
Shot in glorious black and white by Jay Hunter (PAPER HEART, “Dollhouse”), the film
stars Amy Acker (CABIN IN THE WOODS, “Alias”) and Alexis Denisof (“How I Met
Your Mother”, “Angel”) as Beatrice and Benedick, the world’s least likely lovers headed
for their inevitable tumble into love. As Joss Whedon puts it: “The text is to me a
deconstruction of the idea of love, which is ironic, since the entire production is a love
letter – to the text, to the cast, even to the house it’s shot in.” The supporting cast
includes Nathan Fillion (“Castle”, WAITRESS) as Dogberry, Clark Gregg (AVENGERS,
IRON MAN) as Leonato, Fran Kranz (CABIN IN THE WOODS, “Dollhouse”) as
Claudio and Reed Diamond (“Franklin & Bash”, MONEYBALL) as Don Pedro.
The film was produced by Whedon, line-produced by Nathan Kelly and M. Elizabeth
Hughes, and co-produced by Kai Cole and Danny Kaminsky. The super-impressive cast
is listed below. Full tech credits (for the extraordinary crew) will be up shortly. The film
should be completed by early spring and headed for the festival circuit, because it is
fancy.
The Players:
Amy Acker – Beatrice
Alexis Denisof – Benedick
Nathan Fillion – Dogberry
Clark Gregg – Leonato
Reed Diamond – Don Pedro
Fran Kranz – Claudio
Sean Maher – Don John
Spencer Treat Clark – Borachio
Riki Lindhome – Conrade
Ashley Johnson – Margaret
Emma Bates – Ursula
Tom Lenk – Verges
Nick Kocher – First Watchman
Brian McElhaney – Second Watchman
Joshua Zar – Leonato’s aide
Paul M. Meston – Friar Francis
Romy Rosemont – The Sexton
And introducing Jillian Morgese as Hero