Nathan Fillion has offered more details about Joss Whedon’s upcoming adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.
The idea for the updated big-screen version came out of Whedon’s monthly brunch ritual, wherein he invites actors and regular collaborators – including Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof and Fillion’s Firefly co-star Sean Maher – over to his house for recitals of Shakespeare plays.
“I had never done Shakespeare before,” Fillion told Collider. “I actually tried to chicken out of it… I had to work a lot of late nights for Castle and there was just so much dialogue, too much to memorise.”
Fillion went on to explain that he even asked whether Whedon could find a replacement for him, at which point the director told him to “relax”.
“It’s just a lark, no big deal,” Fillion recalled Whedon saying. “Don’t worry about it. Take Saturday off, we’ll work around your schedule… And I don’t have a replacement.”
Asked who out of the film’s cast – which includes Acker, Denisof, Maher and The Cabin in the Woods actors Fran Kranz and Reed Diamond – is the best Shakesparean actor, he responded: “Alexis Denisof. The guy will make you cry.”
Fillion first worked with Whedon on the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and later starred in Firefly, Serenity and Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog.
Much Ado About Nothing was completed last October, and is expected to be released later this year.
The first footage from the film was released online earlier this month. [Source]