Whedon: Much Ado inspired rom coms (From Burnley and Pendle Citizen)

Whedon: Much Ado inspired rom coms

2:57pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013

Joss Whedon has hailed Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing as the "granddaddy of romantic comedies".

The Avenger's Assemble director premiered his big screen adaptation at the Glasgow Film Festival, and confessed he had always wanted to make his own version of Shakespeare's comedy. The story follows Beatrice and Benedick who bicker but end up falling in love.

Joss said: "It is the most accessible of all the comedies. Because it's all prose, and it's also the granddaddy of all romantic comedy. 'They don't like each other but maybe they'll get together!'."

The film, starring Amy Acker, who worked with Joss on Angel and Alexis Denisof who worked with him on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, uses the original text but in a modern day setting.

Joss said he hopes the film - released in cinemas in June - brings a new audience to Shakespeare.

He joked: "I'm always hoping that Shakespeare will get a break and people will finally realise that he's got something!"

He added: "I do think there's an element of wanting people who might not ordinarily watch Shakespeare to come to it.

"Some of the best things I've heard about the movie are people saying ' I don't normally watch Shakespeare, but now I see why you do. I get it.'

"I am not the greatest Shakespeare scholar in the world, but I understand what I need to convey emotionally, and if that's going on, then people will ease into it."