February 04, 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal is putting her own bold stamp on Frankenstein with The Bride!
The film, which is set to hit theaters on March 06, stars Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster – who calls himself “Frank”– and Jessie Buckley as his partner in a visually striking take on Mary Shelley’s classic novel.
Gyllenhaal,48, both wrote and directed the film, marking her latest step as an ambitious filmmaker following The Lost Daughter.
Gyllenhaal acknowledged that her movie arrives close to Guillermo Del Toro’s recent, Oscar nominated Frankenstein, which also showed a dramatic physical transformation for its lead actor.
Rather taking it as a competition, she embraced the coincidence.
“How cool that Guillermo del Toro and I just randomly, at the same moment, are thinking about somewhat similar things? And, as it turns out, in extremely different ways," Gyllenhaal told Entertainment Weekly.
Her vision leans into a fantastical, emotional tone, with Bale and Buckley portraying what Buckley described as an undead, outlaw-styled pair.
“We both were two greyhounds that were just let out of their kennels, and it was really, really thrilling,” Buckley said of the intense shoot.
Bale, meanwhile, underwent a six-hour daily makeup process to become the monster, an experience that shaped the energy on set and underscored Gyllenhaal’s commitment to immersive storytelling.
The ensemble cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Penélope Cruz, Julianne Hough and more, further highlighting the scope of the project.
The Bride! opens in theaters March 6, positioning Gyllenhaal’s vision as one of the most talked-about reinterpretations of Frankenstein in years.