First Look Dakota Johnson as Marilyn Monroe in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s ‘Flesh Impact’

Maggie Gyllenhaal has written and directed a short film inspired by Marilyn Monroe.

After researching Monroe’s life and career more deeply, Gyllenhaal became fascinated by the actress and obsessed with what Monroe might have accomplished if she had lived longer, asking, “What might be different about the work that she would do now?”

That question became the foundation for “Flesh Impact,” a 17-minute short film that explores Monroe’s life, legacy, and unrealized potential. We now have our first look at Dakota Johnson as the iconic actress, via Vanity Fair.

The film presents two versions of Monroe, played by Ellen Burstyn and Dakota Johnson. Gyllenhaal describes the project as “very much a mixture of Marilyn and my fantasy of her.”

After directing “The Lost Daughter” and “The Bride,” Gyllenhaal wrote the script and cast Burstyn, who had known Monroe and moved in similar Hollywood circles, to deliver a demanding monologue performance as an older version of the actress. Dakota Johnson, whom Gyllenhaal previously directed in “The Lost Daughter,” was chosen as the younger Monroe, despite initial concerns about physical resemblance.

The title “Flesh Impact” references Billy Wilder’s description of Monroe’s screen presence—the sense that she felt so real onscreen that audiences could almost touch her through the screen.

The short will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, where it will coincide with a lifetime achievement honor for Burstyn, while Gyllenhaal will serve as president of the festival’s Golden Lion jury.