Wuthering Heights reimagined by Oscar-winner Emerald Fennell promises controversial eroticism and visual splendor, stirring debate as Robbie and Elordi embody Catherine and Heathcliff.
Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë’s beloved 1847 novel, receives a sensually intense and erotically charged reimagining in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation, as revealed in the debut teaser. This new adaptation of Wuthering Heights promises to be a visually stunning yet provocative reimagining of the classic tale.
Fennell, who clinched an Academy Award for her Promising Young Woman screenplay, leads Australian performers Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the roles of Catherine and Heathcliff. The ensemble includes Hong Chau, Martin Clunes, and rising adolescent star Owen Cooper.
Filmmaker Emerald Fennell in an interview for the movie Saltburn in 2023.
Photo credit: Margaret Gardiner, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
The production sparked an intense bidding war in 2024, following Fennell’s second feature, Saltburn, which, despite mixed reactions and poor box office performance, achieved streaming success on Amazon Prime. While Netflix proposed $150m, Warner Bros secured the project for $80m, with Fennell and Robbie specifically advocating for a theatrical release to ensure mainstream appeal.
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Recent reports indicated divisive reviews from preliminary test screenings. Initial viewers reportedly described it as “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” highlighting controversial scenes of stylized depravity, including a public execution scene where the “condemned prisoner climaxes during his hanging.” This hyper-sexualized imagery has already generated significant buzz and mixed reactions online.
Recent days witnessed promotional billboards appearing across major British and American metropolitan areas, featuring suggestive imagery alongside the trailer’s central message: “drive me mad.”
Robbie follows her blockbuster success with Barbie by appearing alongside Colin Farrell in the fantastical film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. Elordi, who rose to prominence in Euphoria, recently starred in Priscilla and On Swift Horses before his upcoming role in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
In a recent Deadline discussion, Elordi praised Wuthering Heights. “Every performance is stunning,” he remarked. “It’s a true epic and an incredible romance. The visuals are stunning. The writing is exceptional. The wardrobe is remarkable.”
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Elordi’s selection has generated controversy, with fans of the Emily Brontë novel noting Heathcliff’s canonical dark complexion. Casting director Karmel Cochrane addressed these concerns about racial ambiguity recently.
“Someone on Instagram suggested executing the casting director,” she noted. “Just watch the film before deciding my fate. Literary accuracy isn’t mandatory. It’s fiction, not historical documentation. It’s artistic expression.”
The classic has undergone numerous adaptations throughout cinema history, including William Wyler’s 1939 interpretation and Andrea Arnold’s 2011 rendition. However, Fennell’s version promises to be a unique and unromantic take on the source material.
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This latest Wuthering Heights film adaptation is scheduled for a theatrical release on Valentine’s Day 2025, aiming to captivate audiences with its bold reimagining of the timeless story.
Source:
Benjamin Lee (September 3, 2025). Wuthering Heights: first trailer for Emerald Fennell’s erotic adaptation. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/sep/03/wuthering-heights-trailer-jacob-elordi-margot-robbie
Header Image: Margot Robbie arrives for the Los Angeles Premiere of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on July 22, 2019 in Hollywood,
Photo credit: Toglenn, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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