‘The Bride!’ By Maggie Gyllenhaal.
After “The Lost Daughter” received critical acclaim, Maggie Gyllenhaal is back behind the camera for her second feature — “The Bride!”, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as leads. The film is a loose remake of James Whales’ 1935 film “Bride of Frankenstein”, itself adapted from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel ‘Frankenstein’. The pic is set up at Warner Bros, after it was dropped by Netflix.
The cast is filled with major talent; Jessie Buckley (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) is the Bride, Christian Bale (The Dark Night) is Frankenstein’s monster, Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman) (and Gyllenhaal’s husband), Annette Bening joined the cast in January 2024, Julianne Hough came on board in March, with John Magaro and Jeannie Berlin joining the following month. in June, Maggie’s brother Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) was also revealed to star in the film. there was also a rumor of comedian John Mulaney playing the role of the cop.
Logline: A lonely Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aid 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.
In August 2023, Production Weekly revealed an upcoming remake of the 1935 film ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ from Netflix, written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. Later that month reports surfaced that Netflix has dropped the project after the 2023 Hollywood strikes in favor of a separate Frankenstein film from Guillermo Del Toro. In November 2023, reports indicated that Warner Bros. Pictures would produce the adaptation instead.
According to Deadline, Bale and Buckley were “circling the project well before the strikes”. Principal photography was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024, in New York City. Editing was completed by Dylan Tichenor, and the score was composed by Johnny Greenwood.
In August 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairs and CEOs of the Warner Bros. motion picture unit with a reputation in Hollywood for being “talent whisperers and a track record with female filmmakers with willingness to spend”, had “stepped in to foot the bill” after Netflix left the project, which included a disagreement over Gyllenhaal wanting to film in New York while Netflix pushed for New Jersey because it would have been cheaper, adding that the “movie’s costs, including production and marketing, will likely exceed $100 million”. Gyllenhaal emphasized the creative freedom granted to her by De Luca and Abdy.
Gyllenhaal helmed the Netflix-backed 2021 psychological drama, “The Lost Daughter”, starring Olivia Coleman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley and Peter Sarsgaard, which turned out to be a critical hit. It also garnered three Oscar nominations and won Gyllenhaal Best Screenplay honors at Venice.
There’s a current fascination of Frankenstein-inspired projects in Hollywood — Lanthimos, Del Toro, Gyllenhaal. Mary Shelley’s near 200 year old work seems to strike a chord with today’s filmmakers.
Peter Sarsgaard recently described the film as “punk”, “violent” and “wildly romantic” in an interview with THR. he also confirms that there will be singing and dancing numbers sprinkled all throughout it’s runtime.
‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ cinematographer - Lawrence Sher, is lensing the movie, and it looks like he shot back-to-back musicals.
“The Bride!” will release on September 26, 2025 against Lionsgate’s “Saw XI”. Warner Bros. pushed up the release date from October 3, 2025. while the final and fourth installment in the Conjuring franchise is currently occupying September 5, 2025 slot. both films will open in IMAX. There’s a very good chance The Bride! will premier at the Lido next year.
sources: Deadline, World of Reel.
