Maggie Gyllenhaal shared a first look at a tattooed Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s Monster on her Instagram page for her upcoming film, The Bride.
Gyllenhaal’s black and white camera test photo shows Bale slicking his hair back with one hand while exposing his stitched-together chest with the other revealing a tattoo across his chest. Upon first glance, the slightly obscured tattoo appears to be the word “hope” inscribed in cursive — echoing similar vibes to Jared Leto’s “damaged” Joker forehead tattoo from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. The tattoo could also be something else entirely — Penelope? — considering part of Bale’s jacket obfuscates the rest of his chest.
Regardless, the subject matter of Bale’s tattoo — be it part of a name or an idea — is sure to be the subject of online investigation.
The Bride follows a lonesome Frankenstein as he travels to 1930s Chicago to seek help from a man called Dr. Euphronius to create a companion for himself. That companion is the Bride — the reanimated body of a recently murdered woman. Things quickly go awry for Frankenstein and The Bride when their “combustible romance” garners unwarranted attention from both the police and “a wild and radical social movement.”
Aside from Bale, The Bride’s cast includes a beefy lineup of Hollywood starpower with Jessie Buckley as the Bride. Other cast members include the likes of Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, and Penelope Cruz.
The Bride hits theaters on October 3, 2025.
Isaiah Colbert is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow them on Twitter @ShinEyeZehUhh.
