Filming of star-packed bride of Frankenstein movie, ‘The Bride!,’ starts on Staten Island (photos)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Filming of the major motion picture, “The Bride!” starring Christian Bale, Penelope Cruz and Jessie Buckley as the bride of Frankenstein has begun this week on the grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Livingston, according to a source with knowledge of the project.

Warner Bros. and actress/director Maggie Gyllenhaal — Oscar-nominated actress, director, producer and screenwriter — are teaming up to make this period film, which follows Frankenstein’s pursuit of love. The all-star cast also includes Hollywood heavy hitters Peter Sarsgaard and Annette Bening, with cinematography by Lawrence Sher, whose acclaimed credits include “Joker.”

Warner Bros. announced the long-rumored and much-anticipated Bride of Frankenstein title as “Bride!,” which is scheduled to hit theaters and IMAX screens on Oct. 3, 2025.

“The Bride!” comes on the heels of the “Barbie” movie, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Greta Gerwig, “Barbie” made history as the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman.

“It is beyond my wildest dreams getting to go back and work with [Gyllenhaal] again,” Buckley told IndieWire. “We really fell in love working on ‘The Lost Daughter.’ I feel so grateful that I get to be part of a coin of extraordinary women who have so much to say, such brilliant minds, and such imagination.”

Gyllenhaal, who has shared on social media camera test images for “The Bride,” is directing and writing the movie, which she is also producing, along with Emma Tillinger Koskoff (Academy Award-nominee for “The Joker,” “The Irishman,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”), Talia Kleinhendler (”The Lost Daughter”), and Osnat Handelsman-Keren (”The Lost Daughter”). Executive producers are Courtney Kivowitz (”The Lost Daughter”) and Carla Raij (”Maestro,” “The Fablemans”), according to Deadline.

The film is described by the Deadline as: “A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronios 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.”

On Instagram, Gyllenhaal posted disturbing images of Frankenstein’s monster, portrayed by Bale, 50, replete with a scar on his forehead, tattoos on his chest, and scarring throughout his body. Another image shows Buckley, 34, as Frankenstein’s bride, with wild blonde hair.

BUILDING H TRANSFORMED

The facade of Building H at Snug Harbor has been under construction for the past week, as the cherry blossoms reached peak bloom on the picturesque property past the Glass House and before the Music Hall, currently undergoing major renovations. Shrubs to be planted and building trucks and crews were visible to passers by.

A source familiar with the project, who wished to remain anonymous, said the construction should be complete in about two weeks. It is unknown which of the Hollywood stars will be filming on the 83-acre grounds of Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

The corner of Building H is currently being transformed into a photo shop, with the words “Modern Souvenir Photos While U Wait,” in addition to an adjacent facade that is being transformed into a structure, named “Souvenir Post Cards.” Yet other facades, on what looks like the exterior of a beauty salon reads, “Misses Coiffure, Coloring, Manicures”; the other reads “Falls Candy Co.”