While Joss Whedon’s 2012 film Much Ado About Nothing might be considered an adaptation of Shakespeare’s original play, I argue that it is more of a remix than an adaptation. The word ‘adaptation’ suggests that original content is the truer, more meaningful content than the adapted work. On the other hand, the word ‘remix’ suggests that the “creative reworking” of previously made content provides for a brand new product, which may stand on its own. Whedon’s film remixes the original content of Shakespeare to create an entirely new product with changed meaning. The original content for Whedon’s Much Ado About Nothing is the text of Shakespeare’s play; however, it should be noted that Shakespeare’s text was always meant to be a visual experience on stage. In a way, a staging of Shakespeare’s plays may also be considered a remix of Shakespeare’s text. Film is a different visual format than plays because editing, soundtrack, and realistic setting are tools that provide a different kind of viewing experience.
The remixing that Whedon does is through his use of modern day setting on film, rather than the stage. The setting of a vacation home changes the meaning of Shakespeare’s play. The home provides a physical enclosure for the characters that provides a sense of claustrophobia through the whole film. The drama that ensues throughout the entire film is justified by the fact that all of characters are in such close quarters of one another. The modern day time period also transforms what might be considered an “antiquated” text into a story that could be easily placed in today’s world. Whedon’s choice to not change the text into modern day speech shows that the exact plot and themes are mutable to present day times. Whedon’s remixed product uses the exact original content to show that Shakespeare itself is not historical, but that Shakespeare’s themes remain relevant today.
As for Much Ado’s audience, one could say that Whedon makes Shakespeare “more accessible” to modern day audiences or that through his use of original text, Whedon shows that Shakespeare has always been accessible to any audience and was intended to be “remixed” as a changing visual experience.