TAGGED AS: book adaptations, Drama, movies, romance
In 1847 British author Emily Bronte published the Gothic romantic drama Wuthering Heights, the source material for Emerald Fennell’s latest adaptation. Set on the Yorkshire Moors of Northern England, the story is a moody drama that at times verges on supernatural in its presentation of the story of Heathcliffe and Cathy.
This marks Fennell’s first time adapting an established text, having previously directed 2020’s Promising Young Woman and 2024’s Saltburn. Since the first trailer came out, fans have analyzed nearly everything associated with the movie, from its casting choices and use of quotation marks in its title to the historical accuracy of the costumes. Regarding the latter, costume designer Jacqueline Durran said in British Vogue that the costumes are inspired by other movies, like 1939’s Gone With the Wind, and vibes, as opposed to being accurate.
Add to that some steamy trailers and a (should be) fire soundtrack by Charli XCX, and Wuthering Heights is easily one of the most anticipated movies of the year. We break down everything you need to know about Fennell’s latest.
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi (of Fennell’s Saltburn) play doomed lovers Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliffe. The pair anchor the movie alongside newly minted Golden Globe winner Owen Cooper (Adolescence) as the young version of Heathcliffe, Hong Chao as the Earnshaw’s maid Nelly Dean, Alison Oliver as the meek Isabella Linton, and Shazad Latif as Catherine’s future husband Edgar Linton.
In August, before the arrival of the first trailer, news outlets started reporting on a divisive test screening of the movie, which apparently confused viewers for how garish it was. No one from the production ever confirmed any screenings took place.
As Fennell explained to the BBC when Elordi and Robbie were announced back in September, “I wanted to make something that made me feel like I felt when I first read it, which means that it’s an emotional response to something. It’s, like, primal, sexual.” Regardless, social media lit up with controversy over the pair, specifically for Elordi playing Heathcliff, who has been coded as being a character of color. Casting director Kharmel Cochrane had already defended the decision in an April 2025 interview, saying, “There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy.” Robbie herself also defended the choice, stating, “I saw him play Heathcliff. And he is Heathcliff. I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy.”
Wuthering Heights is the multigenerational love story between the free-spirited Catherine and Heathcliffe. The pair, having grown up together since childhood, have always loved each other, but their class differences — and Heathcliffe’s background as a foundling — prohibit them from being together. Heathcliffe goes off to make his fortune, hoping his new circumstances will finally win him Cathy, only to discover she has married the wealthy Edgar Linton.
The book continues on and explores the lives of the next generation: namely, Catherine’s daughter with Edgar (also named Cathy, of course), Heathcliffe’s son with Isabella Linton, the sickly Linton Heathcliffe, and Hareton Earnshaw, Catherine’s nephew. Hareton, raised as Heathcliffe’s ward, soon finds himself falling for Cathy Jr., with the question of whether history will repeat itself.
Because of the confusing repetition of names and the similarities in the plot, most film adaptations tend to focus on the first 23 chapters of Bronte’s novel, and on Catherine and Heathcliffe’s relationship exclusively. It’s unknown whether Fennell’s take will touch on any of this, though it’s doubtful based on the trailers.
The first trailer for the feature, which also gave audiences the first listen to Charli XCX’s score, dropped in September. It was distinctly Fennell, predominately focused on bizarre close-ups and fingers going into bread and fish. A second trailer followed in November, which was distinctly different in its approach. Gone was the sighing, and in its place was a more romance-centric tease, touting the movie as “the greatest love story ever told.”
Like the casting, social media had opinions about the trailers, with people questioning the movie’s tone. As Vulture critic Bilge Ebiri said in an article called “Sorry, But These Wuthering Heights Trailers Rule,” “I hope the Wuthering Heights trailers never stop dropping…. Marketing sells the sizzle and not the steak, as they say, and right now Wuthering Heights is so much sizzle that it’s possible we won’t even need the steak.”
There are nearly 35 different versions of Wuthering Heights, ranging from international interpretations, miniseries, film and TV adaptations, going back to 1920. One of the more famous iterations was from 1939 and starred Merle Oberon as Cathy and Sir Laurence Olivier as Heathcliffe. Critic Frank Nugent of The New York Times called it “unquestionably, one of the most distinguished pictures of the year,” and it was nominated for Best Picture.
Other memorable versions include director Peter Kosminsky’s version from 1992 starring Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliffe and Juliette Binoche as Cathy. This one holds the distinction of adapting the entire novel, down to having Binoche play a dual role. Director Andrea Arnold adapted it again in 2011 with Kaya Scodelario and James Howson as the doomed lovers. Howson is one of the few actors of color to play Heathcliffe.
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights will hit theaters and IMAX screens on February 13th.
