Dakota Johnson to play Monroe in Gyllenhaal's short film

First-look images released this week reveal actress Dakota Johnson in a dramatic transformation, portraying Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in director Maggie Gyllenhaal's upcoming short film, "Flesh Impact." The 17-minute project, set to premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in September, reimagines Monroe's life and legacy, timed to what would have been the star's 100th birthday earlier this summer.

Johnson, 36, plays Monroe at the height of her fame in the 1950s and early 1960s, while Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, 93, portrays an older version of the actress the world never saw. Photographs published by Vanity Fair show Johnson with a short blonde wig, Monroe's signature beauty mark, and red lipstick, wearing a white button-down shirt and pencil skirt. The images render the typically brunette actress nearly unrecognizable, a shift attributed largely to costuming.

Gyllenhaal, who previously directed Johnson in "The Lost Daughter," wrote the script over a single weekend after being approached by the luxury automotive brand Genesis for a centennial project honoring Monroe. She stated that Johnson was always on her mind during the writing process, despite initial...