WATCH: The first trailer for Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing

The Avengers director gathers some of his favorite actors for a decidedly small-scale adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy

Whedon filmed Much Ado About Nothing in just 12 days.
(Image credit: Yahoo)

The trailer: After the bluster and bombast of 2012's superhero mashup The Avengers — it was the highest-grossing movie of the year, and is the third-highest grossing movie of all time — director Joss Whedon took a break from blockbusters by directing a film that couldn't possibly be more different: A small-scale, black-and-white adaptation of Shakespeare's classic comedy Much Ado About Nothing. The movie, which debuts in the U.S. on June 7, was filmed in just 12 days at Whedon's personal residence in Santa Monica, Calif. Much Ado About Nothing boasts a cast almost entirely comprised of fan-favorite actors from Whedon's past projects, including Alex Denisof as Benedick and Amy Acker as Beatrice — both alums of the TV show Angel — Nathan Fillion, of Fox's shortlived series Firefly, as Dogberry, and Clark Gregg (The Avengers) as Leonato. Has Whedon done the Bard justice with Much Ado About Nothing, or will the film be put to death by the wagging tongues of critics?

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Scott Meslow

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.