Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
Emerald Fennell, the acclaimed director behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, brings her signature subversive vision to Emily Brontë's timeless gothic romance in "Wuthering Heights". This 2026 film is not a faithful adaptation, but a visceral reinterpretation designed to evoke the raw, intense feelings of first discovering the novel's untamed passion. It plunges audiences back into the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors, reimagined through a daring and provocative lens. Director Emerald Fennell aimed to recreate the shocking, intense experience of a first reading of Brontë's novel, rather than a traditional adaptation. The film garnered significant box office success despite mixed critical reviews, polarizing audiences with its bold, carnal interpretation of the classic. Controversy arose over the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, prompting discussion about the character's traditionally ambiguous racial background.
AI Summary
Emerald Fennell, the acclaimed director behind Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, brings her signature subversive vision to Emily Brontë's timeless gothic romance in "Wuthering Heights". This 2026 film is not a faithful adaptation, but a visceral reinterpretation designed to evoke the raw, intense feelings of first discovering the novel's untamed passion. It plunges audiences back into the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors, reimagined through a daring and provocative lens.
- Director Emerald Fennell aimed to recreate the shocking, intense experience of a first reading of Brontë's novel, rather than a traditional adaptation.
- The film garnered significant box office success despite mixed critical reviews, polarizing audiences with its bold, carnal interpretation of the classic.
- Controversy arose over the casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, prompting discussion about the character's traditionally ambiguous racial background.
Reimagining the Moors
Prepare for a journey back to the untamed Yorkshire moors, but perhaps not as you remember them. Emerald Fennell's 2026 film "Wuthering Heights" takes Emily Brontë's classic novel and reinterprets it, aiming to capture the electrifying experience of reading it for the very first time as a teenager. This isn't your typical period drama—it's a raw, romantic, and profoundly modern take on a timeless story.
A Provocative Opening
The film opens in 18th-century England with a scene designed to shock: a public hanging that elicits a complex, almost ecstatic frenzy from the onlookers. Among them are a young Catherine Earnshaw and her companion Nelly Dean, witnessing a spectacle that hints at the raw passions to come. Soon after, Catherine's father, Mr. Earnshaw, returns to his bleak estate, Wuthering Heights, with a mysterious boy he rescued from the streets of Liverpool.
This rescued boy is Heathcliff, and from the moment he arrives, Cathy becomes fiercely protective of him. Their bond deepens, growing into an intense, inseparable connection. One evening, after being caught in the rain and returning late on Mr. Earnshaw's birthday, Heathcliff takes the blame, enduring a brutal whipping that leaves him with permanent scars—a physical manifestation of their shared torment.
As years pass, Wuthering Heights falls into disrepair, reflecting Mr. Earnshaw's descent into alcoholism and gambling. Cathy, yearning for escape and a better future for both herself and Heathcliff, sets her sights on a wealthy neighbor, Edgar Linton. Her plan is to marry Edgar to elevate her status and, by extension, Heathcliff's—though his jealousy and disapproval are palpable.
During an attempt to spy on Edgar and his ward, Isabella, Cathy sprains her ankle and is taken into their lavish home, Thrushcross Grange, to recover for six weeks. During this time, Edgar falls deeply in love with Cathy and proposes marriage, which she readily accepts, seeing it as her path to a different life.
Back at Wuthering Heights, Cathy stumbles upon servants Joseph and Zillah engaged in a transgressive encounter in the barn—a sight that stirs something within her. Later, on the wild moors, she engages in a private moment of self-discovery. Heathcliff finds her there and attempts to kiss her, but she pushes him away, her emotions a whirlwind of confusion and conflicted desire.
In a moment of vulnerability, Cathy confides in Nelly her guilt over choosing Edgar, uttering words about how marrying the impoverished Heathcliff would degrade her. Unknown to her, Heathcliff overhears this crushing statement. He departs abruptly, riding off into the desolate sunset, carrying her words as a profound wound—missing the subsequent confession of her overwhelming obsession with him.
A year later, Cathy is married to Edgar, living a life of luxury at Thrushcross Grange, yet she longs desperately for Heathcliff's return. Five years after his sudden departure, Heathcliff reappears—transformed. Now well-groomed and mysteriously wealthy, he returns not with joy, but with a bitter anger over Cathy's marriage. He even contemplates marrying Isabella to ignite Cathy's jealousy.
Heathcliff soon purchases Wuthering Heights from a dying Mr. Earnshaw. Isabella, infatuated with Heathcliff, clashes with Cathy, who tries to warn her away from him. Despite Cathy's warnings, a passionate and all-consuming sexual affair ignites between Cathy and Heathcliff, reigniting their destructive bond.
Cathy discovers Nelly knew Heathcliff was listening when she made her degrading remark, leading to a furious confrontation. Nelly, in turn, reveals Cathy's affair to Edgar, who forbids her from seeing Heathcliff. Cathy then reveals her pregnancy to Heathcliff, who, claiming indifference, proceeds to have sex with her. He offers to kill Edgar, but Cathy rejects the idea, dismissing him from her life.
Furious and vengeful, Heathcliff enters a cruel and transactional relationship with Isabella. She understands his motivations and the terms of their loveless, transgressive bond, consenting to elope. He degrades Isabella, treating her with startling cruelty during visits from Nelly, further demonstrating his descent into bitterness and vengeance.
Consumed by despair over Heathcliff's marriage, Cathy starves herself, eventually succumbing to septicemia from a prolonged miscarriage. Nelly rushes to Heathcliff, revealing Cathy's impending death. He races to Wuthering Heights but arrives too late. Clutching Cathy's lifeless body, he makes a desperate, haunting plea: that she drive him mad and never grant him peace in life.
The Haunting Ensemble
Margot Robbie as Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw (Charlotte Mellington as young Cathy) Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff (Owen Cooper as young Heathcliff) Hong Chau as Nelly Dean (Vy Nguyen as young Nelly) Shazad Latif as Edgar Linton Alison Oliver as Isabella Linton Martin Clunes as Mr. Earnshaw Ewan Mitchell as Joseph
Bringing a Classic to Life
Development and Casting
In July 2024, visionary filmmaker Emerald Fennell announced her plans to write and direct a bold adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel, "Wuthering Heights." Fennell explicitly stated that her goal wasn't a faithful retelling, but a recreation of the raw, intense feeling a teenage girl experiences when reading the book for the very first time. This would be a "Wuthering Heights" unlike any other.
The project quickly gained momentum, leading to a fierce bidding war for distribution rights. Netflix initially offered a staggering $150 million, but Warner Bros. Pictures, a studio with whom Margot Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment had a first-look deal, ultimately secured the rights for $80 million. Warner Bros. won by agreeing to Fennell and Robbie's demands for a significant theatrical release and a robust marketing campaign, prioritizing artistic vision over the highest bid.
The casting of Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, a role often described as racially ambiguous in the novel—as a "dark-skinned gipsy" or "Lascar"—sparked considerable debate. Elordi himself was reportedly contemplating a hiatus from acting before Fennell offered him the role without an audition. Fennell defended her choice in September 2025, stating that Elordi's appearance perfectly matched an illustration of Heathcliff from the first edition of the novel she read.
Filming and Visuals
Principal photography commenced in the United Kingdom, spanning 50 days from mid-January to late March 2025. Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren, a frequent collaborator with Fennell, captured the film's stark beauty using 35mm and VistaVision cameras. He framed the story in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, employing Aaton Penelopes for most shots and Beaumont 8-perf VistaVision cameras for expansive wides and breathtaking landscapes.
Filming took place at Sky Studios Elstree, with extensive location shooting across the dramatic Yorkshire Dales, including the valleys of Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, and the picturesque village of Low Row. However, not all on-set experiences were smooth: during the first week, Jacob Elordi accidentally sustained a second-degree burn after stepping back against a steaming hot brass knob in a shower scene, requiring hospital treatment.
Music and Soundtrack
Anthony Willis, another frequent collaborator, composed the film's evocative score. Adding to the sonic landscape, Charli XCX contributed an entire album of original songs for the soundtrack. The lead single, "House," featuring Welsh musician John Cale, dropped in November 2025, followed by "Chains of Love" coinciding with the theatrical trailer. Two more singles, "Wall of Sound" and "Always Everywhere," were released leading up to the film's premiere.
Fennell's Influences
To prepare for her bold vision, Fennell revisited a curated selection of her favorite "love stories"—films that daringly challenged and even obliterated genre conventions. Her diverse list of influences ranged from classic romances like Random Harvest and A Matter of Life and Death to more transgressive and dark narratives such as The Night Porter, Crash, and Park Chan-wook's The Handmaiden. This eclectic mix hints at the film's complex emotional and thematic tapestry.
A Distinctive Marketing Campaign
The marketing for "Wuthering Heights" was as distinctive as the film itself. Promotional billboards appeared across major cities like New York, London, and Los Angeles before the first trailer and poster were released online in September 2025. The poster notably paid homage to the iconic artwork of Gone with the Wind, signaling a grand, romantic, yet potentially turbulent cinematic experience.
A unique aspect of the film's presentation is its title, stylized with quotation marks: "Wuthering Heights". Fennell explained this choice, stating that any adaptation of such a dense and complex novel cannot truly be the book. Instead, the quotation marks signify her version—a specific, individual interpretation rather than a definitive retelling. The title treatment itself was inspired by a poster from a much earlier 1920 adaptation.
Premiere and Release
Theatrical Debut
The world premiere of "Wuthering Heights" took place on January 28, 2026, at the historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The film then opened to wider audiences in the United States and the United Kingdom on February 13, 2026, perfectly timed for Valentine's Day. It was also released in IMAX cinemas, promising a grand, immersive cinematic experience.
Home Media
For those who missed its theatrical run, "Wuthering Heights" became available for digital streaming on March 31, 2026. Physical media enthusiasts could look forward to its release on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 5, 2026, allowing for repeated viewings of Fennell's provocative vision.
Box Office and Critical Reception
Box Office Performance
As of late March 2026, "Wuthering Heights" had achieved significant box office success, grossing $84 million in the United States and Canada and an additional $152 million internationally. This brought its worldwide total to an impressive $236 million, a testament to its broad appeal despite its challenging themes.
Domestically, the film debuted over the Presidents' Day weekend, projected to earn $50–55 million. It grossed $11 million on its opening day, including $3 million from previews. While it topped the box office with $37.5 million over the four-day weekend, it finished slightly below initial projections. In its second weekend, it took second place, grossing $14.2 million behind Goat.
Critical Response
Critically, "Wuthering Heights" received a mixed reception, largely polarizing critics with its daring approach. On Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 333 critics gave it a positive review, with the consensus noting its "heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization" making it a "visually vibrant pleasure" rather than high literature. Metacritic, which calculates a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average" reviews, while CinemaScore audiences gave it a "B".
Proponents of the film, like David Sims of The Atlantic, hailed it as a "heaving, rip-snortingly carnal good time," praising its visceral energy. This camp found Fennell's bold reinterpretation to be an exciting and compelling dive into the untamed heart of Brontë's novel.
However, other critics found it lacking. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described it as an "emotionally hollow, bodice-ripping misfire." Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle felt Fennell's focus on an intense sex life gave away the story's power of spiritual longing without gaining anything. Sarah Chihaya of The Nation argued that the film overlooked the novel’s crucial concerns with class, race, and heredity, suggesting a missed opportunity to explore deeper social commentaries.
Article
Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
Wuthering Heights (stylized with quotation marks) is a 2026 romantic period drama film produced, written and directed by Emerald Fennell. Loosely based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, the film is a reinterpretation intended by Fennell to "recreate the feeling of a teenage girl reading this book for the first time". Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi respectively star as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, alongside Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell in supporting roles.
Wuthering Heights premiered at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California on January 28, 2026, and was released in the United Kingdom and United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 13. The film received mixed reviews from critics, but has achieved box office success, grossing $236 million worldwide, becoming the fourth-highest grossing-film of 2026.
Plot
Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
In 18th-century England, a man is publicly hanged; his suffering and visible erection send spectators, including young Catherine Earnshaw and companion Nelly Dean into an ecstatic frenzy. Cathy's father Mr. Earnshaw, returns to his estate of Wuthering Heights on the Yorkshire Moors one day with a young boy he rescued off the Liverpool streets.
Cathy becomes protective of the boy, naming him "Heathcliff". As time goes on, the pair become inseparable. After they are trapped in the rain and return home late on Mr. Earnshaw's birthday, Heathcliff assumes the blame and receives a whipping that leaves his back permanently scarred.
Years later, Wuthering Heights has fallen into disrepair due to Mr. Earnshaw's worsening alcoholism and gambling habits. Cathy plans to court her new neighbor, wealthy textile merchant Edgar Linton, to escape Wuthering Heights' bleak environment and help bring the lowly servant Heathcliff, into high society, though Heathcliff is jealous and disapproves.
Cathy sprains her ankle while spying on Edgar and his ward, Isabella, and is taken in for six weeks to heal. Edgar is smitten by Cathy and proposes marriage, which she accepts.
Cathy sees servants Joseph and Zillah having a BDSM encounter in the barn. Later, Cathy goes off to the moors and masturbates under her skirt. Heathcliff finds her shortly and tries to kiss her but she rejects.
While expressing to Nelly her guilt over choosing Edgar over Heathcliff, Cathy's words about how it would degrade her to marry impoverished Heathcliff are overheard by him. However, he leaves before Cathy confesses her obsession with him. Heathcliff then rides on horseback into the sunset.
A year later, Cathy marries Edgar and lives a lavish lifestyle at their home, Thrushcross Grange. Cathy longs for Heathcliff's return. Years later, Cathy is pregnant with Edgar's child. Heathcliff returns five years after his departure. He is well-groomed and short-haired, and has mysteriously acquired a fortune. Rather than being happy to see Cathy, he is bitter and angry over her decision to marry Edgar and considers marrying Isabella to make Cathy jealous.
Heathcliff purchases Wuthering Heights from Mr. Earnshaw, who dies soon after. Isabella, who is infatuated with Heathcliff, lashes out at Cathy after she tells her that Heathcliff is not good for her. Heathcliff begins an intense sexual affair with Cathy.
After Cathy realizes Nelly knew Heathcliff was listening when Cathy said marrying him would degrade her, she tries to banish Nelly. Nelly reveals the affair to Edgar, who forbids Cathy from seeing Heathcliff. Cathy reveals her pregnancy to Heathcliff, who claims to not mind, before having sex with her. He offers to kill Edgar, which Cathy rejects, and she dismisses him.
Furious, Heathcliff enters into a loveless, BDSM relationship with Isabella, who understands the terms of the relationship and Heathcliff's motivations for starting it and consents to elope. Heathcliff degrades Isabella and treats her like a dog while being visited by Nelly.
Depressed over Heathcliff marrying Isabella, Cathy locks herself in her room and starves herself. Cathy becomes septicemic from a long-untreated miscarriage. Nelly rescues Isabella and reveals to Heathcliff that Cathy is dying. He rides out on horseback, only to find when he arrives that she has already died. Heathcliff holds Cathy's dead body and begs her to drive him mad and not give him peace as long as he should live.
Cast
Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
• Margot Robbie as Catherine "Cathy" Earnshaw • Charlotte Mellington as young Cathy • Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff • Owen Cooper as young Heathcliff • Hong Chau as Nelly Dean • Vy Nguyen as young Nelly • Shazad Latif as Edgar Linton • Alison Oliver as Isabella Linton • Martin Clunes as Mr. Earnshaw • Ewan Mitchell as Joseph • Amy Morgan as Zillah • Jessica Knappett as Mrs. Burton • Millie Kent as Jane • Vicki Pepperdine as Sister Mercy • Paul Rhys as Heathcliff's father
Production
Development and casting
In July 2024, filmmaker Emerald Fennell announced that she would write and direct an adaptation of the 1847 novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. In September 2024, Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were cast as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, with Robbie also producing under her label LuckyChap Entertainment alongside financer MRC. Robbie previously produced Fennell's Promising Young Woman (2020) and Saltburn (2023), the latter of which starred Elordi. For her approach to adapting Brontë's novel, Fennell decided against a faithful retelling of its story, stating that her main intention was to "try and recreate the feeling of a teenage girl reading this book for the first time".
A bidding war in October led Netflix to bid $150 million for the distribution rights. Warner Bros. Pictures, with whom LuckyChap has a first-look deal and made Barbie (2023), ultimately won the rights with a significantly lower offer of $80 million after granting Fennell and Robbie's wishes for the film to have a theatrical release and a significant marketing campaign.
Elordi had been contemplating taking a hiatus from acting before Fennell offered him the lead role without having to audition. The decision to cast a white actor as the racially ambiguous Heathcliff, described as a "dark-skinned gipsy" or "Lascar" in the novel, sparked controversy., though Heathcliff provenance is never clearly stated, a "China princess" is cited in the novel as a possible mother and he's called a "Spanish castaway", more to generate confusion about the mysteryous byronic hero, and manifest the remoteness of the village by showing how little they know of the world, than to state an actual ethnicity. In September 2025, Fennell defended her decision to cast the Basque-ascending actor Elordi, stating that he "looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read." In November 2024, Hong Chau, Alison Oliver (who starred in Saltburn), and Shazad Latif joined the cast. In March 2025, Charlotte Mellington, Owen Cooper, and Vy Nguyen (all three making their film debuts) were announced as playing young Catherine, Heathcliff, and Nelly.
Filming
Principal photography took place in the United Kingdom during 50 days, from mid-January to late March 2025. Swedish cinematographer Linus Sandgren shot the film using 35mm and VistaVision cameras, marking his second collaboration with Fennell following Saltburn (2023). Sandgren framed the film in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, using 3-perf 35mm Aaton Penelopes as the main cameras, plus a pair of Beaumont 8-perf VistaVision cameras for wides and landscapes.
Filming occurred at Sky Studios Elstree, with location shooting in the Yorkshire Dales including the valleys of Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, the village of Low Row, and the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Linus Sandgren was the cinematographer. During the first week of filming, Elordi accidentally gave himself a second degree burn when he stepped back against a steaming hot brass knob while taking a shower and had to go to the hospital.
Music
Anthony Willis composed the score for the film, after having worked with Fennell on Saltburn, with Charli XCX contributing an album of original songs. The lead single, "House" featuring Welsh musician John Cale, was released on November 10, 2025, alongside a music video directed by Mitch Ryan. A second song, "Chains of Love", was released on November 13, coinciding with the film's theatrical trailer, which also featured the song. Two further singles were released, "Wall of Sound" on January 16, 2026, and "Always Everywhere" on February 13, the same day as the album.
Influences
In preparation for creating Wuthering Heights, Fennell rewatched some of her "favorite 'love stories', ones that challenged, subverted, even obliterated the conventions of the genre". The films listed by Fennell as influences for Wuthering Heights were Random Harvest (1942), A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Far from the Madding Crowd (1967), Donkey Skin (1970), The Night Porter (1974), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Crash (1996), Romeo + Juliet (1996), The End of the Affair (1999), Romance (1999), Bluebeard (2009), The Handmaiden (2016), and The Beguiled (2017).
Marketing
Wuthering Heights (2026 film)
The film's first trailer and poster, the latter of which paid homage to Gone with the Wind (1939), were released online on September 3, 2025, after promotional billboards appeared in multiple cities, including New York City, London, and Los Angeles. The film's title treatment was designed by Chips, a design studio based in Brooklyn, New York. It is based on a poster from an earlier adaptation Wuthering Heights (1920), starring Milton Rosmer.
The film's title is stylized with quotation marks. Fennell stated that "any adaptation of a novel" should be enclosed in quotation marks: "The thing for me is that you can't adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book. I can't say I'm making Wuthering Heights. It's not possible. What I can say is I'm making a version of it." On January 20, 2026, Elordi and Robbie were announced as the cover stars of Vogue Australia's February 2026 issue.
Release
Theatrical
On January 28, 2026, Wuthering Heights had its world premiere at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Wuthering Heights was released in the United States and the United Kingdom on February 13, 2026, on the eve of Valentine's Day. It is slated to release in IMAX cinemas.
Home media
Wuthering Heights was released on digital streaming on March 31, 2026, and will be released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 5, 2026.
Reception
Box office
As of March 26, 2026, Wuthering Heights has grossed $84 million in the United States and Canada, and $152 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $236 million.
In the United States and Canada, Wuthering Heights was released alongside Crime 101, Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die, and Goat, and was projected to gross $50–55 million from 3,600 theaters in its four-day opening weekend. The film grossed $11 million on its first day, including $3 million in previews. It went on to debut at $37.5 million over the four-day Presidents' Day weekend, topping the box office but finishing below expectations. In its second weekend, the film grossed $14.2 million, finishing second place behind Goat.
Critical response
Wuthering Heights was met with mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 57% of 333 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Liberally adapting Emily Brontë's classic story with a heavy dose of carnality and chic stylization, Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights might not be the stuff of high literature but it is a visually vibrant pleasure." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
David Sims of The Atlantic called Wuthering Heights a "heaving, rip-snortingly carnal good time". By contrast, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as "an emotionally hollow, bodice-ripping misfire". Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle concluded, "Fennell boxes herself in. By giving Cathy and Heathcliff an intense sex life, she gets them ready for the next step, but there can't be [one], because this is Wuthering Heights. ... So she gives away all the story's power of spiritual and sexual longing without gaining a thing." Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail stated that "no amount of meticulously composed shots trained on aspic-entombed prawns or freakishly large glazed strawberries can distract from the gaping holes in absolutely everything else on the screen, including its frequently drenched stars". Sarah Chihaya of The Nation wrote that the film ignored "the novel’s very real and present concerns with class, race, and heredity".