The “controversy” around Maggie Gyllenhaal’sThe Bride!and its $100 million plus budget has been directly addressed byWarner Bros. co-CEO Pamela Abdy, who has called out the double standards being employed to slam the movie’s cost. Despite being one of 2026’s highly anticipated movies, havingOscar-winner Christian Bale in its impressive cast, and coming from the multi-talented Gyllenhaal sibling, some have reported that the “astronomical” budget of the film is cause for concern. However, Abdy believes that no one would care about the cost of the movie if it were being directed by a male director. She toldThe Hollywood Reporter:
“It’s so concerning to me, that [Puck] thinks it’s okay for every male director that’s gone from making an independent film to getting hired to direct a $150 million Marvel film, which is a budget that The Bride does not have, but yet it’s still not okay for Maggie? If it was a male director it would be a nonstory, but because it’s a female director …. I’m sorry, it’s just wrong.
Maggie’s movie is punk rock. It’s fun. It’s bold. It’s got Christian Bale. It’s got Jesse Buckley. It’s got multiple ensemble casts and Mike and I believe in her wholeheartedly. There’s been all this noise about the film, and no one has seen it yet. We just wish people would allow these filmmakers to make their films, to have them come out and let audiences see them. If they don’t work, fine. If we took a swing and we miss that’s fair game. But I don’t know why they’re so focused on Maggie. I do feel it’s a little about her gender — I have to be honest.”
What The Bride Star Thinks of Christian Bale’s Monster Method Acting Process
Peter Sarsgaard comments on his co-star Christian Bale’s method acting when giving life to a monster in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride!
‘The Bride!’ Is Set to Be Unique and Divisive – Exactly What Cinema Should Be
Warner Bros. unveiled a first look atMaggie Gyllenhaal’sThe Bride!during their CinemaCon presentation, with the movie not set to be released until March 2026, fans will probably have to wait a little longer to see a first trailer. In the footage shown (via Variety), which is not available to the public, Jessie Buckley’s character – the titular Bride - is seen falling down a staircase. She requires surgery, but her recovery has very little to do with her own well-being. She is being crafted as a companion to Bale’s monster. They both seem to relish the union, as Frankenstein is heard saying “‘Till death do us part,” with Buckley adding: “There is nothing left to do now but live.”
Described as a “bold,” “punk rock” movie by Abdy in her comments, the film doesn’t immediately scream out “profitable” at the same time. But the same could be said for many of Dwayne Johnson’s big-budget movies, or the recent Russo Brothers Netflix film,The Electric State, which come with up to three-times the budget ofThe Bride!and don’t deliver much that is hailed as unique, ground-breaking, or, when all is said and done, very interesting.
Gyllenhaal’sThe Bride!aims to avoid simply rechurning the well-told story ofThe Bride of Frankenstein, and tell its own story. In a time when moviegoers are supposedly bored with the same old movies being remade and regurgitated, perhaps they should think about embracing more movies likeThe Bride!that may not fit a mold, but deliver a different experience to the usual Hollywood slush.
Source:The Hollywood Reporter
The Bride!
