When a movie has an exclamation point in it, it can mean one of two things: that movie will be a modern classic or a forgettable horror attempt and there is no in between. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s next directed feature will be called The Bride! based on the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. And you have to say it with the emphasis every time!
The Bride! has been getting buzz thanks to its all-star cast and the fact that it’s Maggie Gyllenhaal’s second directed feature. Her debut, The Lost Daughter, was critically acclaimed and even snagged three Oscar nominations.
Here is everything you need to know to prepare yourself for The Bride! It all seems so exciting with the exclamation, right?
Plot
Much like your classic Frankenstein’s monster plot, the movie is set to follow the monster as he makes a female companion to act as his bride.
According to the official plot, the upcoming film “sees a lonely Frankenstein travel 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.”
Cast
Doing his best not to appear as a Joker clone, Christian Bale will play the Frankenstein’s monster, though Gyllenhaal refers to him as “Frank.” It’s a common debate. Gyllenhaal shared the first image of Bale sporting some tattoos and a couple scars. Being dead is not very easy on the body.
Jessie Buckley, who starred in Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, will play the titular Bride (!) complete with her icy white hair. “We are just about to start [filming],” Buckley told IndieWire in March. “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. It is beyond my wildest dreams getting to go back and work with [Gyllenhaal] again. We really fell in love working on ‘The Lost Daughter.’”
It doesn’t stop there. Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Juliana Hough and Annette Bening are also set to appear in the film.
Always one to keep the business in the family, Jake Gyllenhaal will also apppear in his sister’s film. He seemingly teased it while wearing a The Bride and Frank shirt while on SNL this year:
Release Date
Filming for the movie began in March of this year. Right now, The Bride! is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 26, 2025, though the release date has already changed, so it could shift around once more before the time comes.
Trailer
No trailer quite yet, but here are some behind the scenes shots shared from Gyllenhaal’s Instagram: