I was just about to come post about this!
http://muchadothemovie.com/
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...nothing-252323
Joss Whedon Teases Mysterious New Project 'Much Ado About Nothing'
10/23/2011 by Kimberly Nordyke
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly" and "Dollhouse" fans rejoiced after Nathan Fillion tweeted a link to a site saying principal photography has wrapped on the previously unannounced project, which set the Internet abuzz with speculation.
Joss Whedon has wrapped his next project. Only thing is, no one seems to know much about it.
Fans of Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Dollhouse were rejoicing late Sunday night after frequent Whedon collaborators Nathan Fillion, Sean Maher and costume designer Shawna Trpcic tweeted a link to MuchAdoTheMovie.com.
The site features a single photo of a man in what appears to be a lake wearing scuba gear and holding a martini glass.
The site reads, "Bellwether Pictures is proud to announce the completion of principal photography" and says the project is "a film by Joss Whedon based on a play."
It also lists a slew of actors who have worked with Whedon in the past, including Fillion, Amy Acker, Fran Krantz, Tom Lenk and Sean Maher.
The site doesn't offer any further details, but the news did spur speculation around the Internet about what the project might be and how Whedon found time to finish it while also working on the upcoming Avengers movie.
Some speculated that it might be his follow-up to the web series Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The obvious question, of course, is whether it is in fact some sort of adaptation of the William Shakespeare play.
Meanwhile, Trpcic answered some questions about the project on Sunday night but gave only vague answers.
In response to the question "full-length film, short or web series?" she wrote: "Film ish not sure in what format he will release it."
http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/10/2...about-nothing/
Joss Whedon announces secret film of 'Much Ado About Nothing,' ability to warp time and space at will
by Adam B. Vary
Just kidding about the second thing. And yet it seems that as far as Joss Whedon is concerned, writing and directing the massive comic book tentpole blockbuster The Avengers; writing and overseeing the Buffy Season 9 and Angel & Faith comics for Dark Horse; readying the long-in-limbo The Cabin in the Woods (which he co-wrote and produced) for an April 13, 2012 release by Lionsgate; and developing a post-apocalyptic web series with Warren Ellis is just not busy enough. Earlier today, actor Nathan Fillion, among others, tweeted out a link to muchadothemovie.com, announcing that Whedon had finished principal photography on a film presumably based on William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
The cast includes a host of Whedonverse alums, including Fillion (Firefly, Buffy, and Dr. Horrible), Amy Acker (Angel and Dollhouse), Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse), Sean Maher (Firefly), Reed Diamond (Dollhouse), Tom Lenk (Buffy), and Fran Kranz (Dollhouse and The Cabin in the Woods), as well as Clark Gregg, a.k.a. Agent Coulson from Iron Man, Thor, and The Avengers.
Whedon has famously held Shakespeare readings at his home from time to time, but how he managed to squeeze this project into his post-production schedule on The Avengers remains a tantalizing mystery. Much Ado follows two couples "” Benedick and Beatrice, chatty and cynical, and Claudio and Hero, driven almost mute by their love for each other "” who are comically tricked by the dastardly Don John. Given that Acker and Denisof share top billing in Whedon's film, it's fair to surmise that they're playing Benedick and Beatrice. As for the other roles, your guess is as good as mine. Have at it in the comments!
http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column...hinks-so-32093
Joss Whedon Wraps Secret Shakespeare Movie Project (Exclusive)
Published: October 23, 2011
EXCLUSIVE
It's much ado about something.
Joss Whedon has directed, adapted, cast and filmed an entire movie -- an adaptation of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" -- in secret, TheWrap has learned.
Whedon, who created "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" and wrote and directed Marvel's upcoming "The Avengers," wrote and directed the movie, an individual close to the project told TheWrap Sunday night.
On Sunday night, a website appeared announcing that Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing," which it says is "based on a play," has completed principal photography. Two people close to the project confirmed that Whedon had indeed filmed a secret movie, and only announced it on Sunday night.
The independent film doesn't yet have distribution.
Actors include Sean Maher, who starred on Whedon's "Firefly" and in his 2005 movie "Serenity;" Fran Kranz, who stars in "The Cabin in the Woods," which Whedon wrote and is producing; "Castle," "Firefly" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Nathan Fillion and "Angel" and "Cabin" star Amy Acker. Spencer Treat Clark and Jillian Morgese, newcomers to Whedon's projects, also star.
Some of the actors took to Twitter to express excitement about the film Sunday night.
"I promise you it's the real deal and we're VERY excited about it!" Maher wrote.
He also tweeted, "Surprise! We just wrapped today..."
Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" is the kind of project Whedon likes. Its use of malapropisms appeals to Whedon's style, as do its characters who have unconventional views about love.
The play is a comedy about two sets of lovers. The fast-talking Benedick and Beatrice banter cynically while the sweet young Claudio and Hero are so in love they can barely speak.
Benedick and Beatrice get tricked into proclaiming their love for eachother while Claudio is fooled into rejecting Hero at the altar. But the scheme is foiled and the two couples wed.
http://www.badassdigest.com/2011/10/...ut-joss-whedon
Much Ado About Joss Whedon
By Devin Faraci | October 24, 2011
A mysterious website announces a new Joss Whedon film"¦ that is already complete.
Mystery! Drama! Intrigue!
These are all things you'll find in Shakespeare plays. You may also find them on the internet tonight as the nerd community is abuzz with a mysterious announcement from Joss Whedon and company. A tweet from Nathan Fillion directed people to a website that simply announced completion of a movie called Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Joss Whedon. The cast list is a who's who of Whedon regulars: Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Fillion, Tom Lenk, Clark Gregg and more.
The only other info on the page is that it's "˜Based On A Play,' which I assume means the Shakespeare.
My guess? Whedon and his friends were hanging around and decided to shoot a version of Much Ado About Nothing, probably set in the modern day. It might even be a loose adaptation. And possibly even a short. I doubt it's some kind of slick film, especially since Whedon just finished shooting The Avengers; Much Ado About Nothing is likely the kind of thing these folks threw together over a couple of weekends.
With modern technology being what it is, and with a group of friends like that, interesting things can happen. I'm curious to find out more.
MUCH ADO ABOUT JOSS WHEDON'S (SECRET?) MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
Joss Whedon did Shakespeare and didn't tell anyone!
By Renn Brown · 10.24.2011
A tweet and a website image"¦ that's about all there is to go on with this one:
Last night Nathan Fillion tweeted a link to
www.muchadothemovie.com where one simply finds a single image announcing the completion of filming on Much Ado About Nothing, a film "based on a play" and directed by Joss Whedon.
The image lists a cast that includes Nathan Fillion obviously, as well as other frequent Whedon collaborators like Amy Acker of Angel and Dollhouse. Aside from the quirky little image of a submerged man holding a martini, there's little else here.
So obviously now the buzz is raging over how Whedon shot this film in secret with no one the wiser. It's entirely possible, especially if the director decided to do something quiet and small. The Shakespearean comedy is a simple story of two couples in love who are tricked throughout the play until the villain is caught and everyone dances, the classic stuff. It's filled with the kind of rapid-fire comedy dialogue that many screenwriters love to riff on today and, like virtually all of the Bard's plays, is easily adapted to any time period.
I'm sure we'll find out something more substantive soon, but since tweeting the link the only follow up comment Fillion has made is that the project is "very real," and a joke playing up the mystery. There is the obvious aside that this "film" could end up being more a web-series or VOD-only film experiment, but even the actors aren't sure.
We'll fill you in as soon as someone fills us in!
Offical Press Release
http://muchadothemovie.com/documents...essRelease.pdf
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 DYI 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
It sounds like Joss shot this like Dr. Horrible.
