University Star

After making The Avengers, Joss Whedon had a couple weeks off to relax. Maybe sit out by the pool with a drink, or do some traveling.

Instead, he gave us Much Ado About Nothing, an updated movie version of the Shakespeare classic shot over the course of 12 days in his own home.

The movie, which stars Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker, is about Beatrice and Benedick, two people who hate each other’s guts, but get tricked into falling in love through their friends’ scheming. Meanwhile, Beatrice’s cousin is engaged to be married, but her fiancé leaves her at the alter because he is tricked into believing she’s been unfaithful. A bunch of craziness ensues.

The movie was shot with the original Shakespearian script. Some actors, including Nathan Fillion, who plays a bumbling cop, were intimidated by the dialogue.

“I peed a little,” he said at the Q&A after Saturday’s screening.

Audience members apparently understood the lines— there were plenty of laughs at he screening. The actors’ deliveries were spot on, and they improvised some of the blocking that ended up being really hilarious.

Other difficulties with the language included modernizing the characters’ motivations and actions. For instance, Beatrice’s cousin is scorned for not being virginal in the script, so Whedon attempted to place the emphasis on her infidelity, rather than her lost maidenhood.

“We emphasize the human, not the hymen,” Whedon said.

Videos and pics from the Q&A to come!

Hollie O’Connor, Trends Editor