Joss Whedon's 'Much Ado About Nothing': Watch the first trailer here

Joss Whedon, a man who in his time has played many parts, has another piece of entertainment about to be unleashed on the stage world, but this time it’s not a special effects-laden superhero movie or an uber-meta horror flick. His latest project is a film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, shot on a shoestring budget in Whedon’s own Santa Monica, Calif. home during what was supposed to be his post-Avengers “vacation.” The first trailer for Much Ado hit the web today.

The black-and-white film gets a jazzy treatment (with St. Germain’s “Rose Rouge”) in the trailer that crescendos into a rather intense, soapy feel considering this is a comedy — words like “Obsession,” “Power” and “Deception” flash across the screen toward the preview’s end. Many faces familiar to fans of the Whedonverse make an appearance, including Nathan Fillion (Firefly), Fran Kranz (Dollhouse, Cabin in the Woods) and Clark Gregg (Avengers). The quick-witted couple at the play’s center, Beatrice and Benedick, are played Amy Acker (Angel, Cabin in the Woods) and Alexis Denisof (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Dollhouse).

Check out the trailer below:

Much Ado About Nothing, which premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, opens in U.S. theaters on June 7. A U.K. and Ireland release follows on June 14. For more on the making of the film, read EW’s exclusive interview with Whedon, Acker and Sean Maher (Firefly), who plays the villainous Don John, here.

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