Maggie Gyllenhaal Has Stacked Ensemble for her Frankenstein pic, 'The Bride!,' Film will Star Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz & Peter Sarsgaard

by Darian Scalamoni

    It seems that Frankenstein-esque stories will be the new motivating factor for Hollywood films going forward as it seems that many are in active development. Well, you can add another to the list as World of Reel is reporting that Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) has set up her second directorial project titled, The Bride. Additionally, Deadline is reporting on the massive cast she's set up for the film that includes Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Christian Bale (The Fighter), Annette Bening (Nyad), Jessie Buckley (Fingernails) and Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman).

    Ruimy's report originally stated that the project was set up at Netflix, where Gyllenhaal's directorial debut, The Lost Daughter premiered before being dropped. Warner Bros. had since picked up the film that is described as, "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."

    Buckley, one of the stars of The Lost Daughter is set to lead The Bride. She earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for playing the younger version of Olivia Colman's character for that project. Buckley recently reunited with Colman in Wicked Little Letters and also starred in Apple's Fingernails with Jeremy Allen White and Riz Ahmed in 2023.

    Bale is very familiar with Gyllenhaal after starring as the caped crusader known as Batman in the trilogy of films from Christopher Nolan. Gyllenhaal starred in a recast role in The Dark Knight as Rachel taking over for Katie Holmes. Since then, Bale has become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood as well as an Oscar-winner. He's starred in projects such as The Fighter, American Hustle, The Big Short and Ford v. Ferrari. Bale recently voiced the character of Shoichi Maki in the English version of Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron. 

    Bening has been in the awards conversation heavily in recent months for her starring role in Netflix film, Nyad. She was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance as Diana Nyad, a long-distance swimmer that who at the age of 60 attempted to swim from Cuba to Florida in a 110-mile-long trek. Next, she'll star in the Peacock limited series, Apples Never Fall. 

    Cruz has also been garnering praise for her most recent role on screen as Laura Ferrari, the wife of Enzo in Michael Mann's 2023 drama, Ferrari. Sarsgaard, who is also the spouse of Gyllenhaal is also getting attention for what many are calling his best performance in Memory, opposite Jessica Chastain. Sarsgaard won the Volpi Cup, awarded to the Best Actor at 2023's Venice Film Festival for his role in the film. Next, Sarsgaard will star in Apple's Presumed Innocent which stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga and Lily Rabe.

    The film is said to have a budget of $80 million and is expected to start filming in March. That would line it up for a 2025 release so keep your eyes out for it!