'Wuthering Heights': Emerald Fennell Defends Bold New Take on Emily Brontë Classic Amid Backlash

Emerald Fennell has made it clear that her new film adaptation of 'Wuthering Heights' is not a strict retelling of the classic novel.

Speaking to Fandango in January, the writer-director said the book has always meant a great deal to her. She explained that she wants longtime fans to feel connected to her version, just as she does.

Emerald Fennell on 'Wuthering Heights' Adaptation

At the same time, Emerald Fennell admitted that a novel as dense and complex as 'Wuthering Heights' cannot be fully adapted into a single film. She said she is not claiming to make the definitive 'Wuthering Heights,' but rather her own version of it.

Image Courtesy: IMDb

Fennell, who won an Academy Award for writing 'Promising Young Woman,' shared that her take is inspired by how she remembered the story as a 14-year-old reader. She described it as a slightly imagined version, shaped by the events she wished had happened in the book. In her words, it is 'Wuthering Heights,' but it also is not.

What is 'Wuthering Heights' About?

The original novel by Emily Brontë, published in 1847, tells the tragic and forbidden love story of Catherine and Heathcliff. The book has been adapted many times, but  Emerald Fennell's casting choices sparked debate as soon as Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi were announced in the lead roles.

Some critics felt Robbie, 35, was too old to play the teenage Catherine opposite Elordi, 28. Others argued that Heathcliff, described in the novel as dark-skinned, was once again being portrayed by a white actor.

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Emerald Fennell's Casting Choice

Emerald Fennell said she first considered Elordi for the role while working with him on 'Saltburn.' She explained at the Brontë Women's Writing Festival that he looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff from the first copy of the novel she read. As for Robbie, who is also a producer on the film, Fennell described her as beautiful, interesting and unpredictable—qualities she believes match Cathy’s character.

The film omits several characters from the novel, including Mr Lockwood and Hindley, and focuses only on the first half of the story. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly,  Emerald Fennell said that ideally, the novel would work best as a 10-hour miniseries. However, making a movie requires difficult choices and a tighter structure. She added that the book's complex format would have been very hard to turn into a clear, cohesive film without significantly more time.

Image Courtesy: IMDb

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Changes in 'Wuthering Heights' 

One of the most talked-about changes involves Isabella, played by Alison Oliver. In the novel, her relationship with Heathcliff is abusive, and he even kills her dog. In the film, Isabella is given more agency and is shown willingly taking part in a submissive dynamic.

Elordi told Entertainment Weekly that a provocative scene in which Isabella appears on all fours wearing a dog collar reflects Fennell's way of translating the novel's darkest moments into a single powerful sequence. Fennell made sure to show Isabella signalling consent during the scene to make that clear.

She argued that while she added visual elements, the emotional core of the moment closely follows Brontë’s original work. She noted that the novel itself shocked readers when it was first published because of its complicated and transgressive themes.

Image Courtesy: People

Not all devoted fans have rejected the film. Staff members at the Brontë Parsonage Museum who attended a preview screening told The Guardian that they enjoyed it. One described it as feeling like a fever dream while still capturing the novel's central themes. Another said it reflected essential truths about Heathcliff and Cathy's relationship. A third summed it up by saying it may not be faithful or aimed at purists, but it works as an entertaining and creative interpretation.

After debuting at number one at the global box office over Valentine's Day weekend, Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' is now playing in theatres.

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