Mention Wuthering Heights, and the mind likely conjures images of windswept moors, oppressive manors, and gothic tragedy. Emerald Fennell, however, clearly has other ideas. In the first trailer for her 2026 film adaptation, the dust of classic literature has been swept away, replaced by a new sensibility that has sent social media into a frenzy—and catapulted stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi into the center of the conversation.
This new tone isn’t established through the traditional romantic gazes of its leads, but through a series of visceral, high-impact close-ups. Set to the modern pulse of a Charli XCX track, the trailer unfolds as a montage of desire: fingers kneading dough and then exploring mouths, even a bizarre shot of a finger inserted into a fish’s mouth, and a focus on carnal details like a bare, sweaty back in a stable and the curve of a body straining against and then breaking free from a corset. It is these images—full of raw, almost aggressive impulse and infused with contemporary pop culture—that have taken the place of a deep dive into the characters’ inner worlds. The result feels like a Victorian Fifty Shades of Grey, with some critics dubbing it the “Matcha Dubai chocolate + Labubu movie,” leaving many viewers expressing concern for the final product.
Many argue that the original novel is far from a simple love story. It explores love, but is not limited to it; it is a tale of control, possession, and destruction. To reduce this complex, even brutal relationship to a mere spectacle of the flesh is, for some, a fundamental misreading. After all, the love in Wuthering Heights is less about romance and more about a savage storm of ruin and agony.
Casting choices have only added fuel to the fire. Jacob Elordi, a handsome white actor, has been cast as Heathcliff, a character of ambiguous racial origins often described in the novel as a “gipsy.” Critics have slammed this as a classic case of whitewashing, erasing the character’s core identity as a socially rejected “other”—an identity that is the very engine of his warped personality and quest for revenge. If Heathcliff is no longer the marginalized outsider tormented for his background and appearance, does his story still hold? At the same time, questions have been raised about Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Catherine, with some feeling her image is out of step with the wild, untamed spirit of the girl in the original novel.
Of course, where there is criticism, there is also defense. Supporters argue that this is precisely what makes Fennell a unique and compelling director. Known for blending dazzling aesthetics with unsettling psychological depth, she has a knack for hitting the raw nerves of contemporary society. A classic, they contend, is a classic because it can withstand and even thrive under the reinterpretations of different eras. Perhaps presenting this toxic love story in a more direct, visceral way—one that resonates with the emotional language of a modern audience—is exactly what Wuthering Heights needs to be reborn in the 21st century. After all, Emily Brontë was a shocking and subversive author in her own time; who’s to say she wouldn’t have met this bold experiment with a wry smile?
So, will the Wuthering Heights of 2026 be a revolutionary and successful reinvention, or a gloriously beautiful but soulless misinterpretation? For now, we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. But regardless of the outcome, the sheer scale of the debate is a testament to the enduring power of the classic itself—its ability to force us, again and again, to reconsider the boundaries of love, humanity, and art. The only thing we know for certain is that when the film finally hits theaters, the discourse surrounding it will be one of the year’s most fascinating cultural spectacles. All we can do now is grab our popcorn and wait.
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