In Proximity Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ryan Coogler: Writing, Directing, and IMAX
Feb 23, 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal, actress-turned-director and writer of The Bride, and Ryan Coogler, filmmaker and Proximity Media founder, chat over pour-over coffee. They dive into reimagining Frankenstein, giving the Bride a voice, surreal directing notes, working with family and actors, night shoots, and shooting on IMAX and Sony cameras with mixed lenses.
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What The Bride Asks About Monstrosity
- Maggie Gyllenhaal reframed Frankenstein by asking what's monstrous inside us and what a woman monster would want.
- She pivoted the Bride's story to give agency to a resurrected woman who has desires and thoughts the original never explored.
Why Giving The Bride A Voice Matters
- The original Bride of Frankenstein barely appears and never speaks, which inspired Maggie to let the Bride have voice and agency.
- Maggie saw the Bride's 1935 scream as a radical act and expanded that impulse into a full-speaking character.
How The Bride Emerged From Unconscious Writing
- Maggie wrote The Bride from an unconscious, associative place, shifting setting from 1870s spiritualism to 1930s Hollywood.
- She followed images and fragments like "I would prefer not to" until the story revealed itself.