'Avengers' Director Joss Whedon Explains 'Much Ado About Nothing'

Joss Whedon's "Much Ado About Nothing," the "Avengers" director's adaptation of the William Shakespeare comedy classic, is starting to become a little less mysterious. How did Whedon manage to shoot this movie while simultaneously working with Earth's Mightiest Heroes for Marvel Studios, for example? What went into his casting process? How was he able to keep his cast quiet? Did he have to threaten notorious tweeter Nathan Fillion with violence? The answers to all these questions and more, plus some new photos from the secretive project, are here, thanks to a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. Some highlights: » On the project's origins: "Well, its not a bit secret that Ive done these [Shakespeare] readings before, and I always had a vague notion of shooting 'Much Ado.' But I didnt really have a take on it. And then, for some reason, I kinda sorta did. As we were finishing 'The Avengers' in NY, my wife and I were planning our vacation for our 20th anniversary. And she said, 'Lets not take the vacation. Make a movie instead.' I was like, 'Im not even sure if I can adapt the script, cast the movie, and prep it in a month.' And she was like, 'Well, thats your vacation time, so you do it.' And so I did." » On being way too busy: "There is an element of 'I have a serious problem' thats one thing. And then theres an element of this is the best vacation Ive ever taken. I mean, yes, it was super hard, it was a ton of work, and there were moments where I went, 'Whats wrong with me? What am I thinking about? I need to rest!' But Ive never been so well rested and so well fed as I have on this movie. You know, you make the time, because no ones going to make it for you. Theres never going to be a good time to do it. You make the time and you make it work if you really, really want it. And I really did." » On keeping the cast quiet: "I asked the cast specifically and everybody involved not to say anything until we wrapped. And, you know, it all happened very, very fast. Thats how you know. When its something that fast, you actually have a shot. When somethings rolling around for three years, its harder. This film was a month from inception to production, and then 12 days to shoot. Even Nathan did not tweet for that long." For more, including interviews with stars Amy Acker and Sean Maher, head over to EW. Tell us what you think in the comments section and on Twitter!