Margot Robbie And Jacob Elordi’s Wuthering Heights Movie Is Already Getting Backlash For Being ‘Whitewashed’
Director Emerald Fennell has been one to stir the pot in recent times, particularly because of her 2023 film Saltburn getting folks speaking about bathwater. Her subsequent film isn’t stopping the controversy there. The filmmaker is making one of many greatest upcoming guide variations on the 2026 film launch schedule with a new iteration of Wuthering Heights. However now that the trailer is right here, followers of the guide are furious.
The primary Wuthering Heights trailer dropped on YouTube earlier this week, and it has already been seen over six million instances. Loads of the speak in regards to the film thus far is how a lot totally different it appears to be like from the supply materials by Emily Brontë. Followers of the novel are most-notably calling the model “whitewashing”. Right here’s one X remark:
wuthering heights with 35 yo catherine, the whitewashed model of heathcliff. unique music by charli xcx.emily brontë didn’t die for this shit.pic.twitter.com/zcMmq4EyOy https://t.co/s263eVNnQZSeptember 3, 2025
The protagonist of Wuthering Heights is depicted within the 1847 novel from the age of six years previous to 19 years previous, making 35-year-old Margot Robbie the wrong age for the role. However, fans are way more mad over Jacob Elordi’s casting as Heathcliff since he is described as having dark skin tone and a “gipsy-like” appearance that casts him as an outsider from other characters in the novel.
As another fan pointed out:
just a not so friendly reminder: Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights is explicitly dark skin and Romani, and his experiences as a man of color influence his entire character and story as a man suffering racist abuse from his adoptive familyfuck off emerald fennellSeptember 23, 2024
When Elordi was initially solid within the position, an identical response broke out on the web, and Kharmel Cochrane, the film’s casting director, has mentioned that “English Lit followers usually are not going to be blissful” with it. Cochrane additionally claimed that “it’s only a guide” and “not based mostly on actual life,” and subsequently shouldn’t be judged so harshly. Nevertheless, those that learn the guide are loudly discussing how casting Elordi misses some very important themes within the guide.
Reminder that Wuthering Heights is NOT only a “darkish romance” however facilities on RACISM and CLASSISM. Heathcliff turned the way in which he’s BECAUSE they had been RACIST and handled him like SCUMSeptember 4, 2025
The trailer additionally teases a extremely sexually suggestive movie, which has beforehand been reported when it screened. An alleged early viewers member referred to as it “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” pointing to a “BDSM-tinged encounter” involving horse reins that’s current within the trailer. Some persons are suggesting that the supply materials was shifted as a way to promote a film that may be likened to Bridgerton.
visually fairly however completely hole & mistaken. this has nothing to do with wuthering heights, appears to be like extra like a bodice ripper / bridgerton adaptation. idk what fennell was considering with this mission, it’s actually horrendous & insulting to the supply materials. simply ew https://t.co/gIfPgNQus5September 3, 2025
Fennell wrote the screenplay, in addition to helmed the film, and Margot Robbie is a producer on the movie after she beforehand produced her different two motion pictures, Promising Younger Girl and Saltburn, by her LuckyChaps banner. Elordi was additionally the star of Saltburn earlier than boarding Wuthering Heights.
Severely although If emerald fennell needed to make an erotic interval drama i want she would have simply used an unique story as an alternative of whitewashing wuthering heightsSeptember 3, 2025
Whereas the film is flooded with unfavorable feedback on the web, there’s this one to go away us considering. One X consumer shared that the title is likely to be in quotes as a result of it’s much less of a Wuthering Heights adaptation and extra of an unique idea. Do you imagine this idea?
learn a idea that the citation marks on the “wuthering heights” title may imply that it isn’t a retelling & could also be a few lady in a later time interval studying the guide and fantasizing about her personal heathcliff. if that’s the case that’s SUCH a enjoyable ideaSeptember 5, 2025
Wuthering Heights is heading to theaters on February 13, 2026, simply in time for Valentine’s Day!
