Joss Whedon's Shakespearean Vacation

Geek god and my personal creative hero Joss Whedon surprised his legions of fans and the film community at large when his newly-formed "micro-studio" Bellwether Pictures announced last night that the writer-director has wrapped principle photography on a new, modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.  It's a surprising turn considering that Whedon has been hard at work on next summer's superhero extravaganza The Avengers, but the film represents the realization of a dream project for him, and quite a nice way to spend twelve days in Santa Monica, where the film was shot.

The cast consists of a bunch of Whedon favorites like Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog), Alexis Denisof (Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse), and Amy Acker (Angel, Dollhouse), plus other "beloved (and soon to be beloved) actors," according to the official press release.

I'm simply in awe of Whedon's sheer badassery, shooting a secret movie, and equally impressed by his devotion to working on a project that is near and dear to his heart that has little in the way of commercial prospects.  The press release reads "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."

I, for one, can't wait to partake of this rapture for myself.