Lionsgate To Distribute Director Joss Whedon’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
Joss Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing, the acclaimed director’s retelling of the classic William Shakespeare story, has been picked up for distribution by Lionsgate, according to Cinema Blend. The Whedon-friendly distributor recently released the filmmaker’s long-delayed Cabin in the Woods into theaters earlier this year. Roadside Attractions will reportedly assist Lionsgate with the film’s release.
“I’m thrilled to be working with my cronies at Lionsgate again, and with the Roadside team,” Whedon explained to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Whedon, of course, has had one seriously successful year. Not only is Cabin in the Woods considered by many to be one of the better horror movies to come down the pipeline in several years, the director also dropped The Avengers on the superhero-loving masses in May. To date, the film has earned over $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Most directors probably wouldn’t consider making a Shakespearean adaptation after watching their big-budget production break all sorts of industry records. Then again, most directors aren’t Joss Whedon.
Much Ado About Nothing, which was filmed entirely in black-and-white, stars Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, Reed Diamond, Nathan Fillion, Clark Gregg, Fran Kranz, Tom Lenk, Riki Lindhome, Clark Gregg, and frequent collaborator Nathan Fillion. In addition to shooting the feature at his own house in Santa Monica, Whedon provided the score for the movie.
Jason Constantine, president of acquisitions and co-productions at Lionsgate, is excited about the company’s latest partnership with Whedon:
“We’re so happy to once again be working with Joss Whedon after our great experience on ‘Cabin in the Wood’s. Who else can tackle horror, superheroes and Shakespeare all in one year? We look forward to working closely with Bellwether Pictures to help audiences discover this wonderful and timeless comedy.”
THR reports that Lionsgate went on a bit of a spending spree at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The distributor also picked up the Kristen Wiig comedy Imogene and the sex-addiction comedy Thanks for Sharing, which stars Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo.
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