Joss Whedon Has Cabin in the Woods

Deserted cabins in lonely forests are rarely settings for sprightly romantic comedies.  

No, we’re not just talking about Whedon’s vacation plans. We mean that he and David Goddard have sold a screenplay entitled Cabin in the Wood to MGM. Variety says that Goddard will make his directorial debut on the project, and Whedon will produce.

Goddard wrote the screenplay for last winter’s much hyped Cloverfield. He worked with Whedon on Buffy and Angel, and also did some writing-producing duties for Lost and Alias. You all know Whedon’s past history.

Whedon had just told the MTV Movie Blog that he’s been working on a screenplay called Goners, which he described as a “very personal thing…a horror fantasy…about a young woman who gains some powers.” (Hmmm…sounds familiar…) That got put on the backburner to make room for Cabin and his upcoming 2009 TV series, Dollhouse.

So what’s Cabin about? I know, I thought “musical!” when I heard the title. But unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. Whedon wouldn’t talk, but Goddard told MTV a little about it:

“It’s genius, it’s funny. It’s got a harder and darker edge, but it’s also got classic Whedon qualities. It’ll rip your heart out and be heartfelt at the same time…There’s a reason the title is so straightforward. It’s its own sub-genre, the cabin in the woods, and this is sort of our take on it. It’s fresh and new.”

Okay, very little about it. But nevertheless, it might be something to keep in mind, if you were planning a vacation in a cabin located deep in teh woods, near a lake, with no means of communication or escape–you’re not really going on vacation, you’re experiencing a subgenre.