Does Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming remake of The Bride Of Frankenstein now boast the most promising ensemble for any upcoming project?
In the true, time-honoured spirit that we like to see filmmakers adopting, Maggie Gyllenhaal is taking a giant swing for her second film as director.
Following on from her impressive 2021 directorial debut with The Lost Daughter, Gyllenhaal first set up her remake of The Bride Of Frankenstein at Netflix before the project was shelved, reportedly finding itself surplus to requirements as the company reshuffled its deck throughout the turbulent months of strike action in 2023.
However, Netflix’s loss looks like it could be Warner Bros’ gain.
We covered a story back in November which suggested that an impressive ensemble was being lined up for the project. The breaking news then was that Penélope Cruz would be in the title role, Christian Bale would co-star as Victor Frankenstein and Peter Saarsgard (who featured in The Lost Daughter) would also appear.
If that trio of talent isn’t exciting enough, according to Production Weekly, the project has now added no less than Annette Benning and Jessie Buckley to its cast of players. Wow. Not only is Gyllenhaal coming off the back of a praised debut and taking on a remake of a James Whale classic, she’s also now working with one of the best ensembles that we’ve seen in the past year.
Like we said: big swing.
We’ve sot a synopsis to check out too:
‘In the new film, a lonely Dr. Frankenstein travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aide of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born.She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of the police and a wild and radical social movement.’
Plans are to begin shooting in March with a 2025 release in mind.
Let’s give a shout out to Warner Bros here for keeping this project alive. The studio has (rightly) come under heavy fire in the last couple of years but adding more projects like this to its slate while curbing its more cynical inclinations is the only way it’s going to restore its reputation with those who continue to criticise it. We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
