A surrealist reimagining of the Emily Brontë classic ‘Wuthering Heights’ has been adapted for the big screen by Saltburn director Emerald Fennell. The Barbie-meets-Gothic version of the literary masterpiece stars Margot Robbie, 35, as Catherine Earnshaw, and fellow Australian Jacob Elordi, 28, as Heathcliff. While the film was shot in the Yorkshire Dales, in an accurate reflection of the 1847 novel, it has faced criticism for its risqué, non-traditional romance scenes and its electro-pop soundtrack by Charli XCX.
However, Emerald purposely put quotation marks around ‘Wuthering Heights’ to signal that her version is a subjective interpretation of the book. Actor Archie Madekwe, who starred with Jacob in the 2023 movie Saltburn as Farleigh Start, has defended the new ‘Wuthering Heights’ after being nominated for the EE BAFTA Rising Star Award for 2026.
Commenting on the period-inaccurate trailer for the film, he felt viewers should not jump to conclusions.
He told Metro: « I think that especially with any kind of literature that feels close to people, they feel very protective, but remember that this is also an artist who is giving you an adaptation through her eyes, so just take that in your stride and be open, and I’m so excited to see what she did. What a cast, I just cannot wait to see all those people on screen! »
The film was conceived three years ago, with Emerald shooting Saltburn. When she saw Jacob in costume as Felix Catton, she told Vogue: “I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s the Heathcliff on the cover of the book that I’ve had since I was a teenager.’”
Emerald said of Cathy: “She’s wilful, mean, a recreational sadist, a provocateur. She engages in cruelty in a way that is disturbing and fascinating.
« It was about finding someone whom you would forgive in spite of yourself, someone whom literally everyone in the world would understand why you love her. It’s difficult to find that supersized star power. Margot comes with big d**k energy. That’s what Cathy needs.”
‘Wuthering Heights’ is available to watch in cinemas across the UK.
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