Proof – if proof truly be need be – that Joss Whedon is a sneaky, crafty bastich, part 79: not content with being extraordinarily busy making The Avengers, the man behind Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dr Horrible and more has only gone and sneakily adapted William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing into a film-type thing.
Yes, working so far under the radar that only those involved knew it was happening (and they were apparently all bound by some sort of blood oath, or possibly a wine oath, not to tell), Whedon has indeed shot some type of project based on around the play.
The news began to leak last night through tweets from the likes of Nathan Fillion and The Avengers’ Clark Gregg, both of whom are in the cast, linking to the project’s holding site.
That page has just been updated to include a superbly Joss-ian press release about the film (which "should be completed by early spring and headed for the festival circuit, because it is fancy") plus a more complete list of those involved, including Fillion, Gregg, Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Tom Lenk, Ashley Johnson, Fran Kranz, Reed Diamond, Sean Maher, Riki Lindhome, Clark Gregg, BriTANick comedy duo Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, Jillian Morgese, Paul M. Meston, Emma Bates, Romy Rosemont, Spencer Treat Clark and Joshua Zar. You’ll notice that a fair few of those are Whedonverse veterans, a testament to the loyalty that Joss tends to inspire. That, or he gives everyone jelly babies laced with happy juice. A Shakespearian adaptation is also not much of a surprise for Whedon, given that he’s had a long tradition of inviting friends, actors and friendly actors around to his house to perform plays and sing songs.
According to the press release, Whedon shot the film on black and white stock across 12 days in Santa Monica (which makes us wonder if he’s found a way to survive without sleep given the other job he was doing at the time). And you know what? We. Can't. Wait.