Director Emerald Fennell has been one to stir the pot in recent times, particularly because of her 2023 film Saltburn getting individuals speaking about bathwater. Her subsequent film isn’t stopping the controversy there. The filmmaker is making one of many largest upcoming ebook diversifications on the 2026 film launch schedule with a new iteration of Wuthering Heights. However now that the trailer is right here, followers of the ebook are furious.
The primary Wuthering Heights trailer dropped on YouTube earlier this week, and it has already been considered over six million occasions. Lots of the speak concerning the film to this point is how a lot completely different it appears to be like from the supply materials by Emily Brontë. Followers of the novel are most-notably calling the model “whitewashing”. Right here’s one X remark:
wuthering heights with 35 yo catherine, the whitewashed model of heathcliff. authentic music by charli xcx.emily brontë didn’t die for this shit.pic.twitter.com/zcMmq4EyOy https://t.co/s263eVNnQZSeptember 3, 2025
The protagonist of Wuthering Heights is depicted within the 1847 novel from the age of six years outdated to 19 years outdated, making 35-year-old Margot Robbie the wrong age for the role. However, fans are way more mad over Jacob Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff since he is described as having dark skin tone and a “gipsy-like” appearance that casts him as an outsider from other characters in the novel.
As another fan pointed out:
just a not so friendly reminder: Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights is explicitly dark skin and Romani, and his experiences as a man of color influence his entire character and story as a man suffering racist abuse from his adoptive familyfuck off emerald fennellSeptember 23, 2024
When Elordi was initially forged within the position, an analogous response broke out on the web, and Kharmel Cochrane, the film’s casting director, has mentioned that “English Lit followers usually are not going to be joyful” with it. Cochrane additionally claimed that “it’s only a ebook” and “not primarily based on actual life,” and subsequently shouldn’t be judged so harshly. Nonetheless, those that learn the ebook are loudly discussing how casting Elordi misses some very important themes within the ebook.
Reminder that Wuthering Heights is NOT only a “darkish romance” however facilities on RACISM and CLASSISM. Heathcliff grew to become the best way he’s BECAUSE they had been RACIST and handled him like SCUMSeptember 4, 2025
The trailer additionally teases a extremely sexually suggestive movie, which has beforehand been reported when it screened. An alleged early viewers member known as it “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” pointing to a “BDSM-tinged encounter” involving horse reins that’s current within the trailer. Some persons are suggesting that the supply materials was shifted so as to promote a film that may be likened to Bridgerton.
visually fairly however solely hole & improper. this has nothing to do with wuthering heights, appears to be like extra like a bodice ripper / bridgerton adaptation. idk what fennell was considering with this venture, it’s really horrendous & insulting to the supply materials. simply ew https://t.co/gIfPgNQus5September 3, 2025
Fennell wrote the screenplay, in addition to helmed the film, and Margot Robbie is a producer on the movie after she beforehand produced her different two films, Promising Younger Girl and Saltburn, by way of her LuckyChaps banner. Elordi was additionally the star of Saltburn earlier than boarding Wuthering Heights.
Significantly although If emerald fennell wished to make an erotic interval drama i want she would have simply used an authentic story as a substitute of whitewashing wuthering heightsSeptember 3, 2025
Whereas the film is flooded with destructive feedback on the web, there’s this one to depart us considering. One X person shared that the title could be in quotes as a result of it’s much less of a Wuthering Heights adaptation and extra of an authentic idea. Do you consider this principle?
learn a principle that the citation marks on the “wuthering heights” title may imply that it isn’t a retelling & could also be a couple of lady in a later time interval studying the ebook and fantasizing about her personal heathcliff. if that’s the case that’s SUCH a enjoyable ideaSeptember 5, 2025
Wuthering Heights is heading to theaters on February 13, 2026, simply in time for Valentine’s Day!
