Frankenstein is suddenly everywhere. With Guillermo del Toro’s long-gestating version arriving next month, the monster’s cultural afterlife continues with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s audacious spin. The first trailer for “The Bride!” teases a feverish, iconoclastic retelling of Mary Shelley’s myth—set in 1930s Chicago and reimagined as a tale of possession, murder, outlaw romance, and cultural revolution.
Led by Jessie Buckley as the resurrected Bride and Christian Bale as a lonely Frankenstein desperate for companionship, the film sets its story in the Jazz Age Midwest. Frankenstein seeks out groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (Annette Bening) to engineer a partner, reviving a murdered young woman who rises with terrifying vitality. From there, the trailer spins into a cascade of images—flashes of rebellion, bodies in motion, and glimpses of a radical movement that blurs science, politics, and desire.
The ensemble is stacked: Peter Sarsgaard, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz all make appearances, while Bening grounds the narrative with imperious resolve. Behind the camera, Gyllenhaal is supported by an arsenal of award-winning artisans, including cinematographer Lawrence Sher, production designer Karen Murphy, editor Dylan Tichenor, music supervisor Randall Poster, composer Hildur Gudnadóttir, and costume designer Sandy Powell.
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Our first look suggests a movie less interested in faithful adaptation than in unleashing something anarchic and alive. The tagline reads: “There’s a monster inside us all,” and Gyllenhaal’s vision appears determined to literalize it—not just in flesh and blood, but in the collective roar of a society on the brink.
“The Bride!” will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, opening in theaters and IMAX across North America on March 6, 2026, and internationally beginning March 4.
