Book to Screen
‘Wuthering Heights’: Everything We Know About Emerald Fennell’s Raunchy Romance Adaptation
Emily Brontë’s first and only novel, Wuthering Heights, has been adapted again and again, but we’re willing to bet that Saltburn director Emerald Fennell’s take on the tragic romance isn’t like anything we’ve seen before.
“I think the thing that we wanted to do with this [adaptation] was make a really, truly transformative experience of a movie, something that was our kind of tribute to the golden age Hollywood romances,” Fennell said at the teaser premiere, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will star as the story’s star-crossed lovers, a casting choice that immediately got the internet talking. We just got our first glimpse of them as Catherine and Heathcliff, and if you were expecting a stuffy affair between the two, let us just say that most definitely will not be the case.
Now that fans kind of know what to expect — even though we’re sure Fennell will manage to surprise — what else has already been revealed about the movie? Who else is part of the cast? Check out the first poster and get the latest news below.
Warner Bros.
When is Wuthering Heights coming out?
It’s set to arrive on the most swoonworthy day of the year. On February 14, 2026, movie lovers can take their partners (or themselves) on a date to see Wuthering Heights in theaters.
Who is in the Wuthering Heights cast?
Robbie is stepping into the role of Catherine Earnshaw, a strong-willed young woman with conflicting desires. She’s 18 years old in the book, which led to some fans criticizing the casting of a 35-year-old actress, but the director has assured that Robbie delivers “one of the most devastating, beautiful, funny, touching performances of all time from her” in Wuthering Heights, according to Teen Vogue.
Elordi, who’s playing Catherine’s love interest, also faced some backlash for his casting. Heathcliff, the Earnshaw family’s foster son, is described in the book as “dark-skinned.” Regardless, Fennell offered Elordi the role directly. He was actually planning to take a break from acting before she asked him to star in Wuthering Heights, per Variety.
“I had the best time on both films, and the language was so rich. The cinematic language of Guillermo and of Emerald was so incredibly unreal,” he told Collider. “I couldn’t be prouder or more excited for people to see those films.”
Charlotte Mellington will play young Catherine, and Adolescence breakout Owen Cooper is young Heathcliff in his feature film debut. Shazad Latif is Edgar Linton, a wealthy suitor of Catherine’s. The Whale‘s Hong Chau is the Earnshaw’s maid, Nelly Dean, and Vy Nguyen will portray her younger self.
Alison Oliver and Ewan Mitchell, who both worked with Fennell on Saltburn, will appear. The former plays Edgar’s sister Isabella, while Mitchell’s role hasn’t been revealed yet. The same can be said for Martin Clunes.
Who is making Wuthering Heights?
Fennell — who’s also known for Promising Young Woman and The Danish Girl — is the film’s writer, director, and producer. MRC is financing, Robbie’s LuckyChap company is producing, and Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing. The producing team includes Robbie, Tom Ackerley (Robbie’s husband), and Josey McNamara, while Sara Desmond executive produces.
Helping bring Fennell’s vision to life are cinematographer Linus Sandgren and production designer Suzie Davies, both of whom collaborated on Saltburn.
What is Wuthering Heights about?
Well, we know that the book charts the passionate and all-consuming love story between Catherine and Heathcliff. The film’s synopsis confirms that their “passionate and tumultuous” and “intense and destructive” relationship will play out against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, like the book. The text sees Catherine choose to marry a wealthy neighbor instead of Heathcliff, which drives him down a destructive path.
If we had to guess based on what we’ve seen so far, this adaptation might not sit well with book purists. The movie’s casting director already confirmed that fans shouldn’t go in expecting total accuracy to the the text.
“There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy,” Kharmel Cochrane told Deadline. “Wait until you see the set design, because that is even more shocking. And there may or may not be a dog collar in it.”
Even so, Elordi told Collider that while the adaptation is unique, it’s also “incredibly traditional, in so many ways.” He added, “[Fennell] is seriously a genius. She knows this book more than anyone, I think, on this earth. It’ll always be an Emerald Fennell film, but it’s brilliant.”
Is there a Wuthering Heights trailer?
The teaser trailer is here, and it sure is something. Did you ever expect a song from Charli XCX‘s brat to be on the Wuthering Heights soundtrack? Scroll all the way up to witness it in all of its raunchy, lavish glory.
Wuthering Heights, February 14, 2026, In Theaters
