Last night, filmmaker Joss Whedon appeared in New York City to promote his upcoming film, Much Ado About Nothing. He answered questions, showed the trailer, and shared a clip from the film.
Whedon’s interest in adapting William Shakespeare‘s “mother of all romantic comedies” came from a lifelong admiration for the famed English playwright. In the past, he would often invite actors, writers, and loved ones to come to his house and act out the plays.
For Whedon, the creative process is largely a solitary endeavor; he writes best when he is alone and has a lot of “pacing room.” While he was working on the script, he “cut one third of the play if not more.” He explained, “When you’re adapting it, what you cut out becomes part of the story you tell.”
Whedon also revealed that he had originally reserved twelve days for vacation; his wife convinced him to use that time to shoot the film instead.
Whedon noted that smaller projects (such as a sequel for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and other Shakespeare adaptations) are being pushed back to the unforeseeable future. At the moment, his involvement with the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series and The Avengers 2 project have become quite time-consuming.