Everything We Know About Jessie Buckley And Christian Bale’s New Horror Film, The Bride!
Jessie Buckley is having quite a year: her film Hamnet had its UK release in January, and she just picked up the Leading Actress BAFTA for her performance. And her next project, set to release in March, is The Bride!, which looks to be a bold new take on the classic Frankenstein story and the 1930s Bride of Frankenstein film. It sees her star as the title character, opposite Christian Bale (The Boy and the Heron) as a version of the Monster, and is directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight). Here’s everything we know so far:
What is The Bride! about?
The Bride! is the second directorial effort from Gyllenhaal, following the acclaimed film The Lost Daughter, which also starred Buckley alongside Olivia Colman. It reimagines the 1935 horror movie Bride of Frankenstein, which also drew inspiration from the original Frankenstein novel. This new version of the story places the characters in 1930s Chicago, amongst gangsters and prohibition, and reimagines Shelley’s work. Frankenstein’s monster here is called “Frank” and played by Bale. He approaches the groundbreaking scientist Dr Euphronoius (Apples Never Fall’s Annette Bening) to create a companion for him, someone who will be like himself. Meanwhile, a woman living in the city is murdered, and the two decide to resurrect her and turn her into his companion, known as “the Bride.”
We see in the trailer that the Bride was killed by being pushed down a flight of stairs by a mysterious assailant, her body landing sprawled in a very contorted, broken way. She’s soon reanimated- but it appears that the film itself will be more of an unconventional, off-the-wall romance than falling into a straightforward horror/sci-fi genre. There are also teases of impressively large-scale dance sequences and a musical element at play as dead bodies are revitalised.
Both Frank and the Bride soon have a romance, and their exploits together begin to attract attention. The police become interested in the abnormal couple, including Detective Jake Wiles, played by Peter Sarsgaard. The Bride and Frank might just end up causing something of a revolution and even social change- there’s definite Joaquin Phoenix Joker vibes to the film.
Who else is in the cast, and when is the UK release date?
There are some other notable faces who will be cropping up in The Bride!, including Maggie’s brother Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent), alongside Penelope Cruz (Ferrari), Louis Cancelmi (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Linda Emond (Only Murders in the Building). It releases in UK cinemas on 6th March, and you can watch the trailer below.
