Ever since the release of the “Wuthering Heights” trailer, the internet has been flooded with talk about how loyal the Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi film will be to the original Emily Brontë novel of the same name.
First looks at the highly anticipated movie sparked curiosity (and concern) among fans of the literary classic, who were confused by some of the more avant garde costumes, as well as the controversial casting and design choices in director Emerald Fennell’s latest project. Not to mention, there have been endless questions about why the title of the timeless love story has been decorated with quotation marks - and what this means for the adaptation.
So, is “Wuthering Heights” true to the novel? How much has been changed for Emerald’s retelling of the iconic tale? And what's with those quotation marks?
Why does “Wuthering Heights” have quotation marks in the title?
First, let’s delve into Emerald’s decision to wrap the title of her Brontë reboot in quotation marks. Naturally, she’s been asked about it several times during the press tour (which also provided fans with some unexpectedly gushy Margot and Jacob moments).
Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that “Wuthering Heights” does have differences from the novel - and isn't an exact adaptation by any means. The director claims it's her own remembering of the story, with a liberal helping of her own imagination - including a healthy dose of what she wished had happened in the 1847 classic.
"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," she told Fandango.
Emerald, who also directed Saltburn, continued to explain, "What I can say is I’m making a version of it. There’s a version that I remembered reading that isn’t quite real. And there’s a version that I wanted stuff to happen that never happened. So it is Wuthering Heights and it isn’t. But really, I’d say that any adaptation of a novel, especially a novel like this, should have quotation marks around it."
When asked how closely her film will follow the Wuthering Heights book rather than her own vision, Emerald told The Hollywood Reporter: "The thing is that it’s my favourite book in the world. Like many people who love this book, I’m kind of fanatical about it, so I knew right from the get-go I couldn’t ever hope to make anything that could even encompass the greatness of this book. All I could do was make a movie that made me feel the way the book made me feel."
Why are the costumes in “Wuthering Heights” historically inaccurate?
When the world was treated to first release images of the “Wuthering Heights” costumes, there was instant controversy. During the film, Margot Robbie appears on screen as Cathy Earnshaw in a mixture of historically inaccurate dresses - from a red latex corset to a shimmering puff-sleeved wedding gown, and an iridescent tulle number. People were quick to point out that the film’s fashion choices are a far, far cry from the Victorian era it's set in.
“Wuthering Heights” costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, told British Vogue that around 50 costumes were used for Cathy throughout the film - and explained that a blend of multiple decades' worth of fashion was the inspiration behind the styling in Emerald’s vibrant reimagining. Through the costume visuals alone, we now know it certainly doesn’t adhere to every element of the original.
"Emerald had been working on Wuthering Heights for maybe a year, maybe longer, by the time we met to talk about it. She had this massive range of references, which had a bit of everything – the Tudor period, the 1950s, contemporary things sprinkled throughout," Jacquenline said. "Our dates are all confused in the sense that we’re not representing a moment in time at all – we’re just picking images or styles that we like for each character."
Is the plot of “Wuthering Heights” different from the book?
While the general plot of Cathy and Heathcliff’s beloved love story has been maintained for the “Wuthering Heights”, we don’t know exactly how many details of the original novel have been tweaked for Emerald’s adaptation. What we do know is that the film is far raunchier than the book, with erotically charged sex scenes set to heavily feature. Comparing the racier take to the book, Margot emphasised just how much the kissing has been ramped up in an interview, stating: "They never really kissed in the book, but we kiss a lot. We kiss everywhere."
The casting of Jacob and Margot as the famous “Wuthering Heights” pair isn’t totally reflective of the characters in the book, either, which hasn't gone unnoticed. In the novel, Cathy is a teenage girl while Heathcliff is older than her, although Margot Robbie was 34 years old at the time of filming and Jacob Elordi was 28. Additionally, Brontë was deliberately ambiguous about Heathcliff's ethnicity in the book to highlight the differences between him and the other characters, causing backlash from the book's fans with regards to Jacob Elordi's casting.
It’s undeniable that “Wuthering Heights” isn’t a precise retelling, but that seemingly hasn't deterred film fans. In fact, according to a report in Deadline, the film is predicted to have an enormous opening, to the tune of $40m.
"Wuthering Heights" is set for UK release on Friday 13th February 2026.