Dakota Johnson Goes Completely 'Unrecognisable' as Marilyn Monroe in Maggie Gyllenhaal's Flesh Impact

Dakota Johnson appears completely unrecognisable as Marilyn Monroe in first-look images from Maggie Gyllenhaal's short film Flesh Impact, released this week. The 17-minute project explores alternate paths for the Hollywood icon and is timed to what would have been her 100th birthday earlier this summer.

Johnson plays Monroe at the height of her fame while Ellen Burstyn portrays an older version the world never saw. The film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.

Dramatic Transformation in First Look Images

Photographs shared by Vanity Fair show the 36-year-old actress sporting a short blonde wig, the signature beauty mark and striking red lipstick, dressed in a white button-down shirt and matching pencil skirt with simple jewellery.

The transformation renders Johnson, usually known for her brunette hair, almost unrecognisable as the star who died at the same age in 1962.

Costuming alone achieves much of the shift, according to reports on the exclusive images from Genesis. Burstyn, aged 93, also appears in character in the stills from the set.

The short film was written by Gyllenhaal over a single weekend after she was approached for a centennial project honouring Monroe.

Official stills capture Johnson at the peak of the icon's career, emphasising the luminous quality long associated with her screen presence in classics such as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Casting Decisions and Gyllenhaal's Approach

Gyllenhaal, 48, who directed Johnson previously in The Lost Daughter, said Dakota was always on her mind for the role while writing the script.

She initially questioned whether Johnson looked enough like Monroe but decided the physical resemblance did not matter. 'I don't know that anyone even really totally knows what Marilyn looks like because she's been so commodified and made into this myth and she's very blurry in my mind,' she told Vanity Fair.

The film also stars Peter Sarsgaard, her husband, and Sepideh Moafi as the audience for Burstyn's monologue-style performance, which the Oscar winner delivered around 30 times during filming.

Gyllenhaal described the work as a mixture of Marilyn and her own fantasy of her, focusing on the vulnerable yet powerful nature of the acting job.

The project carries the blessings of the Marilyn Monroe estate holders Authentic Brands Group and references research into her major performances.

Venice Premiere and Production Background

Flesh Impact is set for its world premiere at the 2026 Venice International Film Festival, where Burstyn will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Gyllenhaal serves as jury president at the event this September.

The title draws from Billy Wilder's description of Monroe's onscreen presence, which felt so real that viewers believed they could touch her through the screen. Production involves partners including William Green for The Cut, Michelle Ross for Superprime and teams from INNOCEAN, with Genesis as presenter.

Official materials call it a love letter to one of cinema's most enduring icons, reclaiming her story through a modern lens. Monroe was born on 1 June 1926 and the film imagines what might have differed had she lived another 60 years to create different work.

The images arrived just days after further details emerged from the production team, confirming the short's focus on an audition scene in a New York theatre that reveals secrets about identity and misconceptions surrounding the star's life as of late July 2026.