Emerald Fennell’s extremely anticipated — and controversial — adaptation of Wuthering Heights not too long ago held check screenings, and the response is principally every part one would count on. The newest adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 gothic romance of the identical title, the upcoming movie was helmed by Saltburn director Fennell, and stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.
Phrase of Reel studies that Wuthering Heights‘ first check screenings had been held in Austin, Texas earlier this week, with the response being notably blended, together with some visible discomfort famous from some within the viewers. The report mentioned the movie is crammed with hyper-sexualized imagery and reportedly performs out very otherwise from the unique guide, however no particular particulars had been offered. Concerning Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi’s efficiency, one attendee referred to as their work “dedicated,” but in addition mentioned their characters “are so chilly and unlikable that even robust performing can’t create a degree of connection.” One other attendee described the movie as “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive” and added that it “leans onerous into Fennell’s now-familiar model of stylized depravity. It’s a intentionally unromantic tackle Brontë’s novel, stripped of emotional nuance and filled with salacious detours that serve shock worth.”
What Does This Imply for ‘Wuthering Heights’?
Clearly, check screenings can and must be taken with a grain of salt. Generally they seem to be a invaluable device for a filmmaker to seek out out what’s or is not working, as occurred on Independence Day after they reshot the ending after the check viewers laughed on the authentic one. Different instances, they’ll cloud post-production with dangerous data; for instance, some check audiences did not like Superman saving the squirrel in his newest film, a sequence that has change into broadly considered among the best elements of the movie.
Common Footage is probably going testing Wuthering Heights to see how a lot mainstream enchantment it may need, because the studio has guess massive on the movie — and Fennell — with a Valentine’s Day 2026 launch date. Fennell’s earlier movies, Promising Younger Girl and Saltburn, have provoked robust and sometimes divergent responses, however there is not any doubt that her work, in topic in addition to presentation, has a means of breaking into the zeitgeist and creating viral sensations. The hope appears to be that this extra sexualized model of the oft-adapted story might cross over right into a mainstream hit.
Fennell’s Wuthering Heights hasn’t lacked for controversy, significantly round casting Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Within the novel, Heathcliff is described as “dark-skinned,” and the choice to solid a white actor has many followers accusing the movie of whitewashing. Neither Fennell nor Elordi backed down from the choice, and the mission moved ahead with filming happening between January and April 2025. With the discharge date approaching, it is seemingly we’ll see a trailer in the course of the vacation season, presumably earlier than Depraved: For Good.
Wuthering Heights
- Launch Date
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February 13, 2026
- Director
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Emerald Fennell
- Writers
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Emerald Fennell