Woman … friend … wife.
Jessie Buckley is the platinum blond bride of Frankenstein in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sophomore directorial feature, “The Bride.” Fans got their first look at the dark film Tuesday thanks to a trailer released by Warner Bros.
“The Bride,” set in Great Depression-era Chicago, follows a Frankenstein variant named Frank (Christian Bale) who recruits Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening) to fashion him an undead soulmate.
“What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A wild and radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!” according to the film’s official synopsis.
The movie is set to hit theaters in March.
In the trailer, the titular Bride is the unknowing product of Frank and the doctor’s dark scheme, alternating between loyal naivete to her companion and a lingering curiosity about where she comes from. Featuring Halloween hues and a dark synthy backing track, the teaser suggests an edgy twist on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel “Frankenstein” and James Whale’s 1935 film “Bride of Frankenstein,” at one point flashing in oversize orange text, “Here comes the mother f— bride.”
Gyllenhaal, who also wrote and co-produced the film, shared the trailer Tuesday on Instagram.
“Thrilled (and a little terrified) to give you a peek at my new baby,” she said in her post. “Here we go. Are you ready??”
Rosamund Pike, Olivia Wilde and Gyllenhaal’s brother Jake, who also stars in “The Bride,” left comments of support.
Gyllenhaal made her feature directorial debut in 2021 with “The Lost Daughter,” an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novel by the same name. The film, which also starred Buckley, received a slew of awards, including best feature and breakthrough director at the Gotham Awards. It also landed Gyllenaal her second Academy Award nomination for adapted screenplay.
“The Bride” is the second Frankenstein adaptation set to arrive in the next six months, following Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” which opens in theaters Oct. 17 and streams Nov. 7 on Netflix. Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame will star as Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s monster.
The Frankenstein mythos has also inspired several films in recent years, including Zelda Williams’ “Lisa Frankenstein” (2024) and Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” (2023), which earned Emma Stone an Oscar.
