Emerald Fennell Takes Wuthering Heights to a New Low: A Breakdown and Critique of "Wuthering Heights" (2026)
- Nancy Zhou
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 4
Wuthering Heights, first published in 1847 by Emily Brontë, is a gothic novel influenced by the Romantic Movement of the time period. The story follows the tragic love story between characters Catherine and Heathcliff. Heathcliff was adopted into Cathy’s family, and they are immediately drawn to and infatuated with each other, but because of their class divide, she marries another man. When Cathy dies, Heathcliff grows crazed and draws out a multi-generational scheme of revenge. He eventually dies decades later with a smile on his face, because they are finally reunited in the afterlife.
Emerald Fennell, director of Saltburn and Promising Young Woman, is now adapting Wuthering Heights for theatrical release in 2026. Since the announcement of the casting in 2024, and especially now, a few weeks after the teaser has been published, there has been immense discourse and criticism surrounding Fennell’s intentions and directorial choices.
The teaser begins with Margot Robbie sensually kneading bread as Charli XCX plays in the background. Within the first few seconds, it is clear that accuracy is not a priority within this adaptation. Second-long clips of sweaty, lashed backs, fingers in egg yolks and (fish) mouths, and corsets being laced up inaccurately flash across the screen in a flurry as if Fennell is ticking off shock-value points. From this one-minute-and-thirty-second-long teaser alone, it is clear that there has been an extreme diversion from the core themes of the original novel; Fennel’s adaptation has painted a 50-Shades-esque, deeply carnal caricature out of Wuthering Heights.
There have been two main criticisms of the adaptation thus far: the casting and the severe deviations from the source material. Emerald Fennell has made the choice to cast Jacob Elordi (a white actor) to play a person of color, whose race is explicitly stated and also a driving factor of several, if not the main plot point(s). Anyone could see how this is a terrible, wildly abrasive decision. Furthermore, Catherine’s actor Margot Robbie isn’t book-accurate either. Cathy both marries and dies at age 18, while Margot Robbie is 35. While this is not nearly as offensive as Heathcliff’s miscasting, it adds to the strangeness of Fennell’s directorial choices. It not only reads off as incredibly lazy and uninspiring to cast some of the biggest names in the industry who are also recurring faces in Fennell’s movies, but also quite offensive, like she barely skimmed through the book and went along with whatever she picked up.
The second main point of criticism is the inaccuracies that are hinted at throughout the teaser. The most obvious case of this is the eroticization of a deeply unsexual relationship. Emerald Fennell has a certain style amongst her films, as seen in Saltburn - and there’s nothing inherently wrong with stylized interpretations, but as a critic at the test screening stated, “It’s a deliberately unromantic take on Brontë’s novel, stripped of emotional nuance and full of salacious detours that serve shock value.”
In my opinion, the problem is not that this adaptation is too eccentric or “out-there”. Instead, the issue stems from Fennell’s refusal to acknowledge the commentary on class and race that makes the original novel so culturally significant and profound. Rather, it seems like she’s taking the easy way out, even though it is completely possible to direct a fresh and campy take on a classic whilst simultaneously keeping the core of the story the same.
However, all of this is based on what we know of the film so far, pre-release, and I guess I can’t say too much without even having seen the film yet. Although I’m not sure if Fennell still has room to redeem herself, I am excited to actually go see Wuthering Heights in theaters next year. After all, who doesn’t love a bad movie every once in a while?
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