Joss Whedon has absolutely taken all of entertainment by the horns this year thus far. From his co-written genre changer The Cabin in the Woods, the directed box office record breaker The Avengers, a Firefly reunion at Comic-Con with a special to follow later this year, and even the upcoming television debut of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on The CW, 2012 is definitely The Year of Whedon. But, there is still one last big screen bow that the geek god has yet to debut.
Much Ado About Nothing will reunite some Whedonverse favorites under one roof as they bring the Shakespeare play to life on an independent budget. Now ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, three all-new photos from the film have been released today showcasing a trio of familiar faces for fans to swoon over.
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.
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.
Shot in glorious black and white by Jay Hunter (Paper Heart), the film stars Amy Acker (Alias, Angel) and Alexis Denisof (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) as Dogberry, Clark Gregg (The Avengers) as Leonato, Fran Kranz (The Cabin in the Woods,Dollhouse) as Claudio and Reed Diamond (Moneyball) as Don Pedro.
There is currently no release date for Much Ado About Nothing, but the film will be hitting the TIFF starting Septmeber 6th.
Click on each photo for a larger look:
