Emily Brontë wrote the classic gothic novel “Wuthering Heights,” in 1847. The story features ghosts, family trauma, classism, and a forbidden, destructive romance. Director Emerald Fennell has adapted the book into a film scheduled to release in 2026, starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi in the lead roles of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively.
But the film has already caught the attention – as well as wide disapproval – of many bookworm netizens.
Wide awake googling the latest Wuthering Heights movie that’s being made and my first response to it? pic.twitter.com/FmBrugoZEQ
— nellyGrumps (@JBollingmoore) March 5, 2025
Much of the controversy involves the casting of Jacob Elordi. The actor is known for starring in the TV series “Euphoria” and the black comedy, “Saltburn.” The film has cast the Australian, white actor, as the main character and antagonist, Heathcliff. But fans of the original novel believe an actor of color should play him.
While Brontë never explicitly defines Heathcliff’s race in the book, she repeatedly describes him as “dark.” This trait singularly marks him out among the white, upper-class English people in the story. And class is one of the major themes that the story revolves around. The novel associates his dark skin with repeated descriptions of him as a “demon” or “devil.” And his personality — sadistic, brutal, and unempathetic — enforces stereotypes of dark-skinned men as “savages.”
At the same time, Heathcliff faces prejudice and abuse in the novel due to his “otherness.” We see this as early as his childhood. In this way, you can see him as a “monster” of colonial England’s making. He’s also driven purely by his all-consuming love for his adopted sister, Catherine. This further reflects English anxieties about men of color joining their society and taking power.
Regardless of how you interpret it, Heathcliff’s race is a fundamental part of his character – something that the movie adaptation seems to neglect.
Twitter/X user @lynchianbush writes, “As I’m reading withering heights, I’m becoming even more frustrated looking into all of these adaptions of the book, which ALWAYS cast a white man as Heathcliff, who is repeatedly characterized as being dark skinned, probably of Indian descent. What’s more is that it DOES matter that he is portrayed as being dark skinned because it’s a huge part of why he is treated so poorly by everyone. The rich white people around him call him a ‘devil’ and constantly point out his race, like YOU CANT IGNORE IT.”
Another reason people have expressed doubts about this generally well-respected book getting a new adaptation? The casting might suggest more of a rosy romantic feeling than the original book had.
“Wuthering Heights is not a romance,” Twitter/X user @SketchesbyBoze, who has over 200,000 followers, wrote, “it’s a story of cruelty and misplaced passion and revenge and how abuse can destroy souls and poison communities, and the casting of Elordi and Margot Robbie does not inspire confidence that the director understands this.”
Indeed, I doubt if two conventionally attractive and glamorous actors fit the lead roles. I’m not sure I can imagine Margot Robbie playing Catherine Earnshaw, a somewhat cold, spoiled rich girl who could never be happy among angels because of her darkness.
But, at the very least, we can hope it might be better than casting the leads in Dorian Gray as brothers.
Have you heard about the new Wuthering Heights film adaptation? What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!
Image via Wikimedia Commons
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