Inside the Internet's Extreme Reaction to 'Wuthering Heights' Adaptation Over Tone & Casting

"Emily Bronte is rising from her grave as we speak," one social media user wrote after seeing the steamy trailer from Emerald Fennell's adaptation of the 1847 novel.

If you're chronically online like us, you would have seen the severe backlash online over the first Wuthering Heights trailer.

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi team up to bring the literary classic to the big screen for Valentine's Day 2026, in a new adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel.

Oscar-winner Emerald Fennell is the director behind the film, after previously directing Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, both also produced by Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerly -- who are also producers on this film.

Robbie, 35, stars as Catherine, while Elordi, 28, portrays Heathcliff and the pair are already facing backlash from fans of the original. The film will follow the heated and forbidden relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff -- however, fans noticed the new movie appears to lean heavily into themes of passion and sexuality, something some feel is inaccurate to the original story.

The casting itself has also been up for debate since the names were announced. Fans of the story called Elordi a "white washed" version of Heathcliff, while others believed Robbie playing Catherine at 35 years old is inaccurate.

Catherine is various ages throughout the film, however, at the end she is 19-years-old.

While Heathcliff's ethnicity is not specifically mentioned in the novel, descriptors for the character include "dark-skinned gypsy." The novel never explicitly states his nationality or precise heritage.

With only images and a short 90 second trailer, it is difficult to judge the film just yet ... but that didn't stop people.

The sets and wardrobes are a mix of old and new -- at one point we see Robbie's Catherine wearing rose-colored sunglasses -- making it clear that this isn't a strict, period-accurate adaptation. 

One social media user noted that the use of quotation marks around the title Wuthering Heights could be an insight into just how loose the adaptation will be.

The cast also includes Hong Chau, Alison Oliver and Shazad Latif. The film will feature original songs from Charli XCX.