Adaptations have always been surrounded by controversy, and angry book lovers who will insist on telling you time and time again that “the book was better.” Wuthering Heights is a classic of English literature, written by Emily Brontë in 1847, and explores themes of social class, obsession, revenge, and love. There have been 14 different film and television adaptations of the novel, and a new one is set to be released in theaters this Valentine’s Day.
The latest adaptation of Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, has sparked considerable controversy. When the initial trailer was released in early September, many fans of the original Brontë novel were quick to point out that the newest adaptation seemed largely unfaithful. For one, Margot Robbie, age 35, is supposed to be playing a teenager. Additionally, Jacob Elordi’s character, Heathcliff, is described in the books as being non-white, although Elordi himself is a white actor. This has drawn criticism to Fennell for whitewashing Brontë’s original story.
What caught my attention immediately when watching the trailer was the music. British singer-songwriter Charli XCX has music featured in the promotion for the film, and an album set to be released alongside the film. This week, new photos were released in Vogue that explore the costuming of Fennell’s new film. The costuming, done by two-time Oscar winner Jacqueline Durran, while clearly not historically accurate to the time period, are stunning in their own way. One of the costumes features Margot Robbie draped in a cellophane dress with a bow, inspired by a look from the 1950s.
In a response to questions regarding the quotation marks around the title, Fennell recently argued that “any adaptation of a novel” should have quotation marks around it. Responding to criticism and backlash of her 2026 film, Fennell claims that she is “making a version of it [Wuthering Heights].” Still, this generates questions about what will be omitted on screen, as the book explores complex themes whose exclusion could affect the overall message.
I have purchased tickets to see Fennell’s new film in February. My goal is to read the novel beforehand, so that I can compare the two. In my opinion, it would have been better for Fennell to just create an original film, rather than attempting to adapt Wuthering Heights. This would have prevented a lot of the backlash the movie is receiving prior to its release.
