Maggie Gyllenhaal Turned Christian Bale Into A Tattooed Frankenstein And The Jared Leto Jokes Are Flying

Maggie Gyllenhaal has unveiled the first look at her second directorial outing, The Bride, which stars Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster and Jesse Buckley as his titular bride.

However, Bale’s character design for the period film has already sparked a flurry of online reactions thanks to his portrayal of “Frank” looking awfully close to the Jared Leto version of a Joker. The situation isn’t being helped that the Bill Skasgård remake of The Crow also went down that road.

You can see the photos of Bale and Buckley in The Bride below:

And here’s the synopsis for The Bride, which also stars Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, and Annette Bening. Via Variety:

The Bride is set in 1930s Chicago and puts a spin on the iconic Frankenstein lore. Buckley’s murdered young woman is revived, but her new life surprises her creators as she lusts for romance and ignites a radical social movement. Along with the first look at Bale, Gyllenhaal also teased a photo of Buckley’s bride.

It should be noted that these photos were simply a camera test as The Bride has not yet started filming. It’s not even scheduled to hit theaters until deep into 2025. But judging by the reactions on social media, it might not be a bad idea to revisit Bale’s look for the film because the Jared Leto Joker jokes (or JLJJ) immediately started flying. It’s nearly impossible not to compare the two.

The Bride opens in theaters on October 2, 2025.

(Via Variety)