Lionsgate Acquires Rights to Joss Whedon's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Lionsgate-Acquires-Rights-to-Joss-Whedons-MUCH-ADO-ABOUT-NOTHING-20010101

According to Deadline.com, Lionsgate has acquired North American distribution rights to director Joss Whedon's Much Ado About Nothing, which made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival last weekend.

"I'm thrilled to be working with my cronies at Lionsgate again, and with The Roadside team," Whedon said in a statement. "That they all embrace a Shakespearean romance with the same enthusiasm they had for Cabin in the Woods shows that they're exactly the mad fools we want to be partying—I mean working—with."

Read the original report here.

Whedon's adaptation of MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is a modern version of Shakespeare's classic comedy, the movie was filmed in just 12 days entirely on location in Santa Monica and features a combined cast of Shakespeare vets and others completely new to the form.

Shot in 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.

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.

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.

The film was produced by Whedon, line-produced by Nathan Kelly and M. Elizabeth Hughes, and co-produced by Kai Cole and Danny Kaminsky. Whedon most recently directed Marvel's hugely successful film The Avengers. He has also helmed Firefly, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and many more.

Visit www.muchadothemovie.com and TIFF's website for more information.

Photo credit: Bellwether Pictures