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The Bride!
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| The Bride! | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| Written by | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
| Edited by | Dylan Tichenor |
| Music by | Hildur Guðnadóttir |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 126 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80-90 million[2][3] |
The Bride! is a 2026 American Gothic romance film[4] written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. It stars Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale alongside Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Penélope Cruz. The film draws inspiration from the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein, which was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein.
The Bride! had its world premiere at the Empire Leicester Square in London, on February 26, 2026.[5] It was released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on March 6. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.
Premise
[edit]In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein's monster asks Dr. Euphronius to create a companion for him. Together, they give life to a murdered woman known as "the Bride", sparking romance, police interest and radical social change.
Cast
[edit]- Jessie Buckley as Ida "The Bride" / Mary Shelley
- Christian Bale as Frank
- Peter Sarsgaard as Det. Jake Wiles, a police detective who investigates Frank and the Bride
- Annette Bening as Dr. Cornelia Euphronious, a scientist who assists Frank
- Jake Gyllenhaal as Ronnie Reed, a popular actor whom Frank idolizes
- Penélope Cruz as Myrna Mallow, Jake's assistant
- John Magaro as Clyde, an associate of Lupino
- Matthew Maher as James, an associate of Lupino
- Jeannie Berlin as Greta, Euphronious' maid
- Zlatko Burić as Lupino, a mob boss
- Louis Cancelmi as Officer Goodman, a police officer who crosses paths with Frank and the Bride
- Julianne Hough
- Linda Emond
- Karin Dreijer[6]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]In August 2023, the weekly issue of Production Weekly reported an upcoming remake of the 1935 film The Bride of Frankenstein from Netflix, written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Penélope Cruz, Christian Bale, and Peter Sarsgaard (Gyllenhaal's husband).[7]
Pre-production
[edit].jpg)
In January 2024, it was announced that Warner Bros. Pictures was producing the film and Annette Bening had joined its ensemble cast, which included Jessie Buckley (who starred in Gyllenhaal's feature directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, in 2021) as "the star of the movie", alongside Bale, Cruz, and Sarsgaard. According to Deadline Hollywood, Bale and Buckley were "circling this project well before the strikes."[8] In March 2024, Julianne Hough came on board to star,[9] with John Magaro and Jeannie Berlin joining the following month.[10] In June, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maggie's brother, revealed he would also star.[11]
In August 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, co-chairs and CEOs of the Warner Bros. motion picture unit with "a reputation in Hollywood for being talent whisperers with a willingness to spend", had "stepped in to foot the bill" after Netflix left the project (which included a disagreement over Gyllenhaal wanting to film in New York while Netflix pushed for New Jersey because it would be cheaper), adding that "The movie's costs, including production and marketing, will likely exceed $100 million". Gyllenhaal emphasized the creative freedom granted to her by De Luca and Abdy.[12]
Filming
[edit]Principal photography was scheduled to begin on March 4, 2024, in New York City.[13] Cinematographer Lawrence Sher shot the film entirely with IMAX-certified digital cameras, marking his first collaboration with Gyllenhaal.[14][15] In January 2025, Deadline reported the film's budget as being $80 million, less than the $100 million it would have cost had it remained at Netflix.[2]
Post-production
[edit]During post-production, editing was completed by Dylan Tichenor.[16] The score was composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, who replaced the previously announced Jonny Greenwood.[17] Swedish Musician Fever Ray announced they would compose two songs for the soundtrack and make an appearance in the film.[18] Gyllenhaal cut some of the violence, including sexual violence, from the film in response to negative test screenings; one particular moment cut involved Frankenstein licking the black vomit off the Bride’s neck.[19]
Release
[edit]The Bride! had its world premiere at the Empire Leicester Square in London, on February 26, 2026.[5] It was first released in France and South Korea on March 4, 2026, and in the United States on March 6, 2026, in IMAX.[20][21] It was previously scheduled for release on October 3, 2025, and September 26, 2025.[22]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 98 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10.[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100 based on 33 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."[24]
The Guardian's reviewer Peter Bradshaw gives four stars out of five and states "Jessie Buckley is electrifying as frizzy-haired, black-tongued monster's wife".[25] Leila Latif writing for Empire Online was much less enthused, concluding "ultimately what the film most exudes is incompetence," and calling it "a hot mess" and "a crushing disappointment."[26]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "The Bride! (2026)". Irish Film Classification Office. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 15, 2025). "Why Warner Bros Shook Up Its Feature Exec Ranks As It Braces For An Auteur-Driven 2025 Slate". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 15, 2025.
- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (March 4, 2026). "Box Office: Pixar's 'Hoppers' Aims for $40 Million Debut, 'The Bride' Targets Lifeless $15 Million Start". Variety. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ Oganesyan, Natalie (February 28, 2026). "Maggie Gyllenhaal Talks Directing Brother Jake Gyllenhaal For The First Time In 'The Bride!' & Early Feelings Of Envy In Her Career". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ a b Tinoco, Armando (February 26, 2026). "'The Bride!' Premiere Red Carpet Photos: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz & More". Deadline. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
- ^ Ray, Fever (February 21, 2026). "Happy to announce a couple of new tracks!". Instagram. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Navarro, Meagan (August 3, 2023). "The Bride – Maggie Gyllenhaal Reportedly Remaking Bride of Frankenstein for Netflix". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 12, 2024). "Annette Bening Boards Maggie Gyllenhaal's Frankenstein Movie At Warner Bros Opposite Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Penélope Cruz & Peter Sarsgaard". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (March 27, 2024). "Julianne Hough Joins Maggie Gyllenhaal's Frankenstein Pic 'The Bride!' For Warner Bros". Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (April 8, 2024). "John Magaro & Jeannie Berlin Join Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride!". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ Keegan, Rebecca (June 5, 2024). "Jake Gyllenhaal Just Wants to Freak Himself Out". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Flint, Joe (August 10, 2024). "At Warner Discovery It's Lean Times, Except for the Movie Studio Bosses". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Bride". January 8, 2024. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (May 16, 2024). "Imax Unveils 2025 Film Slate, Including 'Superman' and 'The Fantastic Four'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "The Bride! | Official 1.90 Teaser | Filmed For IMAX®". September 23, 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (August 29, 2024). "September 5 Star Peter Sarsgaard on His 'Rabbit Brain', Live TV News and Why Wife Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride Is So 'Punk'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ "Hildur Guðnadóttir to Score Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride". Film Music Reporter. May 2, 2025. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
- ^ Ray, Fever (February 21, 2026). "Happy to announce a couple of new tracks!". Instagram. Retrieved February 24, 2026.
- ^ Garcia-Navarro, Lulu (February 28, 2026). "The Interview: Maggie Gyllenhaal on Envy, Rage and Reaching Out to Her Brother". The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (March 19, 2025). "Maggie Gyllenhaal's 'The Bride' Moves Out of 2025, Paul Thomas Anderson's Next Movie Pushed to Late September". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
- ^ "IMAX Investor Presentation October 2025". IMAX Corporation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 12, 2024). "The Batman 2 From Matt Reeves Heads To Fall 2026; Paul Thomas Anderson-Leonardo DiCaprio Movie Gets Summer 2025 Date". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ^ "The Bride!". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ "The Bride! Reviews - Metacritic". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (March 4, 2026). "The Bride! review – Jessie Buckley is electrifying as frizzy-haired, black-tongued monster's wife". The Guardian. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
- ^ Latif, Leila (March 4, 2026). "The Bride! Review". Empire Online. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
External links
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