Award-winning actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi have been chosen to star in the much-anticipated adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1850 romance novel, Wuthering Heights.
The film—written, directed and produced by Academy Award-winner Emerald Fennell—surrounds Heathcliff (Elordi), a man who avenges those who take him away from his soulmate, Catherine Earnshaw (Robbie). Heathcliff initially meets Earnshaw when her father discovers him as a homeless child in Liverpool and takes him in. When she agrees to marry another man for greater stability and status, Heathcliff engages in an obsessive pursuit to win her back.
The casting choice comes on the heels of two standout roles for both Robbie and Elordi. Robbie, 34, starred as the title character in the $1.4 billion-grossing Barbie. Elordi, 27, received critical praise for his role as Elvis in the 2023 film, Priscilla.
The decision to place both Australian actors in the leading roles has been met with much controversy. “Heathcliff is described as a dark-skinned brown man in the book and a major plot point is that he was subjected to racist abuse by his adopted family but yeah sure Jacob Elordi is perfect!” wrote one user on X. Another user criticized Fennell and questioned if she “actually read the book.”
The upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights is the first since the 2011 film, which starred the Black, British actor James Howson.
Wuthering Heights is the second project collaboration for Elordi and Fennell. Elordi starred in the highly-successful Saltburn, which brought in a total of $21.1 million worldwide.
The upcoming feature film will be produced by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, following extensive interest from studios and a bidding war. Puck reports that creative team behind Wuthering turned down an offer of $150 million from Netflix for exclusive rights to the finished product because they wanted the movie to play theatrically. Warner plans on releasing the movie in theaters worldwide, with financial backing from MRC.
Wuthering Heights is also being produced by LuckyChap. This marks Fennell’s third collaboration with the entertainment company, following 2020’s Promising Young Woman and 2023’s Saltburn. Fennell, who is also an actress, had a featured role in LuckyChap’s Barbie with Robbie as well.
Wuthering Heights is in pre-production and set to start filming in the U.K. in 2025.
