Here's A First Look At Christian Bale In Maggie Gyllenhaal's Frankenstein Film "The Bride," And The Makeup Department Deserves An Immediate Raise

Maggie Gyllenhaal is following up her feature directorial debut, the Oscar-nominated 2021 film The Lost Daughter, with a new take on the story of Frankenstein. And, based on the recently released first-look photos, we're in for quite a Halloween treat.

The film is titled The Bride, and according to Variety, it stars Jessie Buckley as the titular character. The publication also reports the film is set in 1930s Chicago and follows a young woman who is murdered but brought back to life. However, her creators must grapple with her desire for romance and involvement in igniting a social movement.

Starring alongside Jessie is Christian Bale, as Frankenstein's Monster.

Maggie shared the first-look images on Instagram with the caption, "Meet The Bride & Frank 🖤 #TheBride #CameraTest #FirstLook #JessieBuckley #ChristianBale."

Here's Jessie as The Bride. The dark lighting, close-up shot, and the splotches (is it ink?) on her face make clear this will likely be a very brooding and intriguing film.

And here's Christian as Frank, with the character's signature deep scar across his forehead. In typical Christian Bale fashion, he's nearly unrecognizable in his latest role.

Not much else is known about the film at the moment, though it reportedly boasts a seriously impressive supporting cast. According to Deadline, Annette Benning, Penélope Cruz, and Peter Sarsgaard will appear in the film.

Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic / Getty Images, Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Just last week, Deadline also reported that Julianne Hough joined the cast too.

The photos have already attracted the praise of several notable celebrities, including Penélope and Julianne, who both commented on Maggie's Instagram post. As did Jessica Chastain, Kirsten Dunst, and Ariana Debose.

According to Variety, the film will hit theaters in October 2025. We'll update as more info is announced.

BuzzFeed reached out to Warner Bros. for confirmation of the film's cast and release date.