Warner Bros. is reteaming with Maggie Gyllenhaal for a new project following last year’s gothic romance “The Bride”!
The studio had acquired Rachel Kushner’s novel “Creation Lake” for Gyllenhaal to develop and produce and direct.
“Creation Lake” centers on Sadie Smith, a 34-year-old American secret agent who is sent to infiltrate a group of environmental activists in France using her skills in seduction and manipulation. However, as Sadie becomes more involved with the commune, she begins to question her worldview. Described as a “propulsive, page-turning novel full of dark humor” that examines identity, history, and radical politics, the novel was a New York Times bestseller, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and nominated for awards including the National Book Award and the Penn Faulkner Prize for Fiction.
News of the project may come as a surprise to some, as Warner Bros. has gone big with “The Bride!,” which polarized critics with Gyllenhaal’s feminist reinterpretation of the 1930s-set classic “Bride of Frankenstein.” The ambitious film, starring Jesse Buckley and Christian Bale, failed to gross $24 million worldwide against a $90 million budget.
But it would be foolish to discount the critical success of Gyllenhaal’s 2022 directorial debut, The Lost Daughter. The psychological drama, written and directed by Gyllenhaal and based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, was nominated for three Oscars, including a nomination for Best Original Screenplay for Gyllenhaal. She was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Crazy Heart. She won a Golden Globe Award for her starring role in “The Honorable Woman.”
News of the “Creation Lake” project comes as Gyllenhaal is scheduled to receive the Presidential Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Gyllenhaal, along with fellow actor-turned-director Jesse Eisenberg, will accept the award at the festival’s opening ceremony, where they will also screen “The Bride.”
Pac was first to report the news of the project in development.
