Evening Times film reviewer Paul Greenwood talks to writer/director Joss Whedon

You're an incredibly busy man, so what drives you to do something like this while you were still making The Avengers?

It feeds me. I came away from it more relaxed than if I had been lying on a beach. If I'd been lying on a beach I would have gone mad, bored and confused and wondering about what to do next. Instead I left the cutting room of The Avengers having made a movie and having hung out with my very best friends who I hadn't seen for a long while.

Was Much Ado your only choice for a Shakespeare adaptation?

My favourite has always been Hamlet, but it was the right movie for this experiment. And it was an experiment. While we were making it we had no idea if anyone would ever see it, if we'd only be showing it parties or putting it on iTunes. Once I understood what it was about I realised there was something interesting and dark and textured there. Even though it gets very dramatic at times, it is light and delightful and I really wanted to showcase my stars.

How much of the challenge is making Shakespeare accessible to modern audiences?

It's all of the challenge. There are two parts to it; do I have something to say besides 'I really like this play' and how do you support it in terms of the performances and the visuals so that even if people don't necessarily understand every word that's being said, they know what the person is going through. Ultimately you're on an emotional journey with them, and if you're not, it doesn't matter if you understand what they're saying.

How is Avengers 2 coming along?

I'm writing it now and I'm honestly having the time of my life, it's a joy. What you don't do is go, oh let's make it bigger, or I hope it's more successful, because those things are traps. The second one will stymie you and the first one will make a bad movie. What you can do is say 'Ok, introductions have been made, now we know them, let's try and go deeper'. My North Star is Godfather II or The Empire Strikes Back; take what we love and turn it over, and take away part of the ease of it to show us something darker and cooler and funnier and stranger.

Can you see yourself making Hamlet during Avengers 2?

Not during Avengers 2, no. Because I want Avengers 2 to be my Hamlet, I want it to be the thing I'm proudest of, I want it to be the best film I've ever made. There's nothing better than realising your day job is your passionate hobby, so that's going to be my focus. After that I'll nap for a decade.