'The Bride': Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley Look Unrecognizable In First Look From Maggie Gyllenhaal's Film

Director Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is teaming up with Warner Bros. for the period film, shared images on Instagram from a recent camera test for the movie, unveiling the highly anticipated looks from the film.

In the images, Christian Bale portrays Frankenstein’s monster, and is seen donning his symbolic hairstyle and body stitches, alongside a tattoo which reads ‘hope’. Whereas, the other image shows Oscar-nominee Jessie Buckley as the Bride, the titular character, who has blonde hair, has put on a black lipstick, and has dark markings on her face.

Take a look here:

Interestingly, Bale and Gyllenhaal would be reuniting after their work on 2008’s ‘The Dark Knight,’ where they played Bruce Wayne and his love interest Rachel. In addition to this, Buckley has also starred in Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, 2021’s ‘The Lost Daughter,’ which was nominated for three Academy Awards.

In addition to Bale and Buckley, the film also stars Penélope Cruz, Julianne Hough and Annette Bening. Gyllenhaal’s husband, Peter Sarsgaard, is also a part of the massively talented ensemble cast. While the crew hasn’t been announced yet, it’s confirmed that Lawrence Sher, who worked on ‘Joker,’ has been roped in as the cinematographer.

The plot of the film, as reported by Variety, “is set in 1930s Chicago and puts a spin on the iconic Frankenstein lore. Buckley’s murdered young woman is revived, but her new life surprises her creators as she lusts for romance and ignites a radical social movement.”

Inspired by James Whale’s 1935 film ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ ‘The Bride’ is directed, written, and co-produced by Gyllenhaal. It is scheduled to have a theatrical release on October 3, 2025.

Meanwhile, Gyllenhaal’s forthcoming movie isn’t the only Frankenstein movie that’s in the making. Guillermo del Toro is currently in the process of filming his own adaptation of Frankenstein, which stars Jacob Elordi in the iconic role of the monster, and also features Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery, Charles Dance, and Christoph Waltz.