Following the Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan-starring Saltburn (2023), which she wrote and directed, Emerald Fennell has reteamed with Elordi for her take on Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
The writer and director of Promising Young Woman (2020), who won an Oscar for the latter original screenplay, announced her next project via X. The film has received some backlash for the casting decision of main character Heathcliff, which we will get into below.
Read on for everything we know about Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation:
When will Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights come out?
The film adaptation will arrive in theaters Valentine’s Day weekend on February 13, 2026.
Who is in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights?
Jacob Elordi will portray Heathcliff, and Margot Robbie will portray Catherine Earnshaw, Deadline exclusively reported.
We also first reported that Hong Chau, Alison Oliver and Shazad Latif were cast in the film. Chau (The Instigators), will narrate as Nelly Dean, and Oliver (Saltburn) will portray Isabella Linton. Shazad (Magpie) will play Edgar Linton, an aristocratic man who marries Robbie’s Catherine.
Who else is behind Wuthering Heights?
Fennell wrote and directed the film in addition to producing. Robbie’s production company LuckyChap also produced. MRC financed and served as the studio on the project, and Warner Bros Motion Pictures Group won the bid for theatrical distribution, as Deadline exclusively reported.
Why was there backlash over the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights?
Heathcliff’s ethnicity in Brontë’s 1847 novel, which she published under the pseudonym Ellis Bell a year before she died, is ambiguous, though his background description includes phrases that suggest he was not white.
Fans of the novel have also pointed out that Catherine is described as having brown hair in the novel.
What is Wuthering Heights about?
Set in the Yorkshire moors, the story follows two families: The Earnshaws and the Lintons, who share an intense and destructive relationship. The narrative is framed by Thrushcross Grange tenant Mr. Lockwood, who learns about the history of Wuthering Heights through the long-time servant nelly Dean. At the core of the novel is a tragic yet passionate love story between the orphan Heathcliff, who Mr. Earnshaw adopted, and Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter Catherine.
Have there been other adaptations of Wuthering Heights in the past?
Yes, the 2011 film directed by Andrea Arnold starred Kaya Scodelario and James Howson. Peter Kominsky directed a 1992 adaptation starring Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. Merle Oberon and Laurence Oliver led William Wyler’s 1939 film.Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley led a 2009 TV mini series.
Is there a trailer for Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights?
Yes, a teaser trailer was released at the beginning of September, providing a first look at the film. The clip is set to Charli xcx’s “Everything is romantic (feat. Caroline Polachek).”
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