Joss Whedon calls the 12-day shoot for his stealth Shakespeare movie Much Ado About Nothing "the best vacation I’ve ever taken."

Days after wrapping principal photography on The Avengers, the writer-director recharged his batteries by diving into the contemporary adaptation of the play, which he filmed at his house in Santa Monica, California. Whedon called the whirlwind production a "noir comedy" in an interview with EW.com.

Why Shakespearean comedy? "Everybody in [the play] behaves like such a dolt – an articulate dolt, but a dolt," Whedon told EW.com, adding that the Bard's jokes translate easily for a modern audience.

The self-financed, black-and-white Much Ado About Nothing will star frequent Whedon co-conspirator Nathan Fillion, who revealed the existence of the mystery project with a tweet Sunday.

The production, which also features Sean Maher, Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof and Avengers actor Clark Gregg, is expected to hit the film festival circuit next spring.

An appropriately cheeky press release posted Monday on the Much Ado About Nothing website provides more information on the stealth project:

Bellwether Pictures proudly announces the completion of principal photography on Much Ado About Nothing, a modern version of Shakespeare's classic comedy adapted and directed by Joss Whedon (Marvel's upcoming The Avengers, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog). Filmed in just 12 days entirely on location in exotic Santa Monica, the film features a stellar cast of beloved (or soon to be beloved) actors – some of them veterans of Shakespearean theater, some completely new to the form. But all dedicated to the idea that this story bears retelling, that this dialogue is as fresh and intoxicating as any being written, and that the joy of working on a passion project surrounded by dear friends, admired colleagues and an atmosphere of unabashed rapture far outweighs their hilariously miniature paychecks. 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. Shot in glorious 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. As Joss Whedon puts it: "The text is to me a deconstruction of the idea of love, which is ironic, since the entire production is a love letter – to the text, to the cast, even to the house it's shot in." 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. The film was produced by Whedon, line-produced by Nathan Kelly and M. Elizabeth Hughes, and co-produced by Kai Cole and Danny Kaminsky. The super-impressive cast is listed below. Full tech credits (for the extraordinary crew) will be up shortly. The film should be completed by early spring and headed for the festival circuit, because it is fancy. The Players: Amy Acker – Beatrice

Alexis Denisof – Benedick

Nathan Fillion – Dogberry

Clark Gregg – Leonato

Reed Diamond – Don Pedro

Fran Kranz – Claudio

Sean Maher – Don John

Spencer Treat Clark – Borachio

Riki Lindhome – Conrade

Ashley Johnson – Margaret

Emma Bates – Ursula

Tom Lenk – Verges

Nick Kocher – First Watchman

Brian McElhaney – Second Watchman

Joshua Zar – Leonato's aide

Paul M. Meston – Friar Francis

Romy Rosemont – The Sexton

And introducing Jillian Morgese as Hero

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