I’m not sure what to make of the new trailer for Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! It promises a wild, punk rock-energized retelling that will stand apart from the rest. And it’ll star Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale as the two monsters, caught in the grip of an outlaw romance in 1930s Chicago.
A macabre Bonnie ‘n Clyde movie set in the Jazz Age? Yes, please! That said, this trailer is little more than a crazy blitz of images and not a lot of plot. Perhaps, Gyllenhaal is keeping some things close to the vest, which is cool. Or Warner Bros. doesn’t know what to make of the film, either.
Also in the cast are Peter Saarsgard, Annette Bening, Penelope Cruz, Julianne Hough, John Magaro, Jeannie Berlin, Linda Emond, and some guy named Jake Gyllenhaal.
SYNOPSIS: A lonely Frankenstein (Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride (Buckley) is born. What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A wild and radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!
Gyllenhaal directed and wrote the screenplay, following up her acclaimed 2021 debut The Lost Daughter. It’s clear from this trailer that Gyllenhaal is looking to put her stamp on the story, in an uncompromising fashion. The use of practical effects to transform Buckley and Bale looks incredible, and Lawrence Sher’s moody cinematography is perfect.
No matter what, it still looks a thousand times more interesting than Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein. At least I know I won’t be bored stiff.
The Bride! hits theaters and IMAX on March 6th 2026 from Warner Bros.
