Maggie Gyllenhaal’s films explore uncomfortable truths. With her new project, she’s doing it on a much bigger scale. “The Bride!,” starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, is Gyllenhaal’s first step into blockbuster territory, reinventing one of Hollywood’s most enduring side-characters and monsters for IMAX screens. This time, the Bride is at the front and center.
Unveiled during an exclusive digital event celebrating the debut of the film’s new trailer, “The Bride!” represents a bold evolution for the filmmaker, who first made waves behind the camera with “The Lost Daughter.” While the project represents her largest production to date, Gyllenhaal says that, at its core, the heart remains the same: it’s another story that explores the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. “I wanted to do that in a pop way,” she said, laughing. “I wanted to tell the truth in a way that was hot.”
“The Bride!” is based on the character of The Bride of Frankenstein, which first appeared in Mary Shelley’s landmark Gothic novel. In 1935, she was memorably brought to the screen by Elsa Lanchester in “Bride of Frankenstein.” Gyllenhaal’s version of the character drew inspiration from both the film and the book. She notes how striking it was for Lanchester to make such an impression in pop culture when her Bride practically had no lines.
The new trailer is set to Florence & The Machine’s “Everybody Scream,” with the music highlighting the story’s punk and gothic tone. It teases the story of the Bride and her complex relationship to Frankenstein, her lover, and the man responsible for reanimating her as a monster. “My Frankenstein is pulled from the book,” says Gyllenhaal. “He’s so smart. Vulnerable. Tough. He does some f- up stuff, as monsters do.” Then she adds, “As we all do.”
The trailer also teases its stunning cast, including Penelope Cruz, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Sarsgaard. The first two are some of Gyllenhaal’s icons, whom she’d never worked with before. Gyllenhaal says that Cruz's turn as Myrna is a performance that's unique in her body of work. Bening plays a “mad scientist” who collaborates with Frankenstein in bringing The Bride back to life.
Gyllenhaal has a more personal connection to Jake Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard; the former is her brother, and the latter, her husband. “The Bride!” marked the first time that the two Gyllenhaals have worked together since 2001, when they both starred in “Donnie Darko.” “I asked him last minute because I wanted to make sure that working together was the best for our relationship. I loved it,” she said.
You can check out the trailer in full below. “The Bride!” premieres exclusively in theaters this March 6th.