Christian Bale looks unrecognisable as Frankenstein’s monster in new Maggie Gyllenhaal movie
Maggie Gyllenhaal has shared the first look at Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster in her forthcoming film, The Bride.
Gyllenhaal’s second directorial feature, following The Lost Daughter (2021), riffs on James Whale’s 1935 horror classic Bride of Frankenstein.
The plot follows “a lonely Frankenstein” who “travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement.”
Jessie Buckley plays the eponymous bride while Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard and Annette Bening also star.
Sharing the first film stills of Buckley and Bale on Instagram on Thursday (4 April), Gyllenhaal wrote: “Meet The Bride & Frank.”
The post was supportively reshared by Gyllenhaal’s brother, actor Jake Gyllenhaal who wrote simply: “THE BRIDE!”
In another Instagram Story, Jake said his sister “eclipsed me many moons ago”.
The Bride marks Gyllenhaal and Bale’s second time working together; though, it is the first time she has directed the American Psycho star. The two co-starred in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Night film saga – Bale played Batman/Bruce Wayne while Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Wayne’s love interest Rachel Dawes from the second film, The Dark Knight (2008).
Sarsgaard, who is married to Gyllenhaal and plays the detective trailing Frankenstein’s monster (Bale), told The Independent in a recent interview: “It’s this big, romantic, deeply romantic, wild, punk monster movie! I think it’s going to be energising! It’s rambunctious! People are going to be very surprised that this is Maggie’s second movie. It is nothing, at all, like The Lost Daughter.”
He added: “Now I have my own director who’s gonna put me in her movies. I always wanted to work with someone over and over, making that relationship deeper and more interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever worked with the same director more than once. My wife is the only one!”
When they’re at home, Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal don’t discuss work. “We’re shooting The Bride at the start of April,” he said. “I know Maggie’s talking to some of the other actors in the movie, but she and I have almost said nothing. She just knows that’s not my way of working. I read a script a lot. Then I daydream about all the things that aren’t in it.”
The Bride is set for release in cinemas on 2 October 2025.
