Wuthering Heights (2026): Release Date, Cast, Plot & Movie Details
Forget everything you thought you knew about 19th-century literature. When the provocateur behind Saltburn, Emerald Fennell, revealed she was adapting Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights (2026), it was clear this would not be a standard, staid period drama.
Here’s everything you should know about the 2026 Wuthering Heights adaptation.
Wuthering Heights (2026)
It’s not your English teacher’s Wuthering Heights. Led by Oscar winner Emerald Fennell, the adaptation is being described as a “bold and original reimagining” of the tragic 1847 novel. Although the source material has been adapted for the screen dozens of times, this version – stylized with quotation marks in promotional materials – will offer a ‘primal, sexual and devastating’ look through the ‘obsessive, destructive’ facet of human desire and not merely misty moors and Victorian yearning.
Release Date & Availability
Save the date for the most scandalous Valentine’s Day weekend, to ever hit theatres. Wuthering Heights is set for a wide theatrical release in the US and UK on 13 th February 2026. Warner Bros. has also announced a special IMAX release for the film, so the sweeping, rugged terrain of Yorkshire can be experienced in the best possible resolution.
Genre, Theme & Setting
This film is a Gothic Romance and Psychological Drama. Proud of its country background, it is set on the desolate Yorkshire Moors in Northern England.The themes, however, have been modernized to a more “sado-masochistic” tone of the book what are focused on:
- Desire and Lust: “It’s not just love — it’s alcohol-fueled insanity.”
- Class Struggle: the scathing rivalry between the aristocratic Lintons and the heathen Heathcliff.
- Revenge: a rippling generation of vendetta which “splits asunder” anything in its path .
Director, Writer & Creative Team
Wuthering Heights, Written and Directed by Emerald Fennell also produced. Following Saltburn’s breakout success, Fennell is reuniting with a number of key collaborators:
- Linus Sandgren (La La Land, Saltburn) – director of photography Linus Sandgren captured on 35mm VistaVision film, lending the film a “painterly,” vintage feel.
- Music: Synth-pop icon and Unexpected composer Charli xcx scores the soundtrack, deftly combining 19th-century mood pieces with an electro-club score.
Plot Overview
The story takes place with the “foundling” Heathcliff, a homeless orphan who Mr Earnshaw brings from the streets of Liverpool to live with his family at Wuthering Heights. He develops a powerful, mystical connection with the family’s daughter, Catherine Earnshaw.
As they age, they are driven apart by societal expectations and Catherine’s choice to wed the cultivated Edgar Linton. The 2026 film reportedly is “very heavily concentrated on the first half of the book — the ‘bananas’ passion of the young leads and not so much on the story of the second generation, though it will highlight the ‘illicit’ nature of their connection.”
Cast & Characters
| Actor | Role | Character Notes |
| Margot Robbie | Catherine Earnshaw | A woman with “Godlike power” whose beauty drives men mad. |
| Jacob Elordi | Heathcliff | The brooding, vengeful foster son of the Earnshaws. |
| Shazad Latif | Edgar Linton | Catherine’s wealthy and “dull-but-decent” husband. |
| Hong Chau | Nelly Dean | The observant housekeeper (and narrator of the saga). |
| Alison Oliver | Isabella Linton | Edgar’s sister who becomes a victim of Heathcliff’s rage. |
| Owen Cooper | Young Heathcliff | Making his feature film debut. |
| Charlotte Mellington | Young Catherine | Also making her big-screen debut. |
Key Highlights & Collaborations
The movie marks the third major collaboration between Emerald Fennell and Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap Entertainment after “Promising Young Woman” and “Saltburn.”
The most talked about highlight is the Charli xcx soundtrack. Songs such as “House” and “Chains of Love” have been released in trailers, indicating that the film will be more of a fever dream/dark rave than a museum piece.
Production Details
The film was shot from January to April 2025 in the United Kingdom. In the interests of authenticity, Fennell shot on location in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, including such dales as Arkengarthdale and Swaledale. The $80 million production budget, which was widely reported to have won a bidding showdown against Netflix because Warner Bros. assured a full theatrical release.
Rating & Certification
Official ratings will be confirmed closer to release, but industry insiders and the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) have suggested this is “one for mature audiences.” Given Fennell’s history and the “erotic tension” reported in US entertainment publications, fans should anticipate an R rating (US)/15 or 18 (UK).
Distribution & Platform Details
Warner Bros. is distributing worldwide from London. In contrast to many contemporary titles that go straight to streaming, Fennell and Robbie battled for a theatrical-first release. After its theatrical window (including an IMAX run), the film will be heading to Max (once known as HBO Max).
Audience Expectations
The public response has been divided. Some “English Lit” purists have objected to the casting of Jacob Elordi, pointing out that Heathcliff is described in the book as “dark-skinned.” Fennell, on the other hand, has stood by her vision, saying that Elordi is the “primal” core of the character she first dreamed of as a teenager. Fans of Saltburn are buzzing to get some of the “bananas” and “provocative” energy Robbie has promised.
Conclusion
Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights (2026) is shaping up as the most polarising and visually dazzling film of 2026. Through the removal of polite Victorian surface and by embracing the raw, “masochistic” core of the novel, this adaptation aims to recast a classic for contemporary audiences.
Whether you’re a Brontë scholar or a cinephile, one thing is for sure: you’ll never see the Yorkshire moors the same way again.
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