The teaser for the new "Wuthering Heights" film 2026 has officially been released, and it has taken the internet by storm, sparking discussion among movie buffs and literary fans of the original novel about the nature of the latest film adaptation of Emily Brontë’s 1847 classic, Wuthering Heights - beginning with its bold visuals to the choice of placing the title card in quotation marks.
Directed by the Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell, who is also the mastermind behind the films like Promising Young Woman and Saltburn, her latest project “Wuthering Heights” is all set to hit the theatres in February 2026.
The teaser gave us our first glimpse of Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi who plays Heathcliff, as well as a taste of the visual aesthetics and music that sets the tone for the film. It featured the song “Everything is Romantic” by singer Charli XCX who also wrote several new songs for the movie.
Trailer of "Wuthering Heights" 2026
While we can expect an extended trailer of the film soon, Warner Bros has released the official teaser of the new "Wuthering Heights" film now.
What is the plot of “Wuthering Heights”?
Based on 1847 classic novel by Emily Brontë, the new “Wuthering Heights” film 2026 narrates the story of the Earnshaw and Linton families set in late 18th century England. It captures the characters of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff as their doomed romance unfolds into peaks of passion, yearning and tragic turns and eventfully follows their inevitable descend into bitterness and melancholy.
The original novel Wuthering Heights is often cited as a literary masterpiece that is a brilliant Gothic portrayal of love, passion, yearning, human flaws and raw emotions that is explored through two characters and families that attempt to navigate a society dictated by class, social ranking and honour.
What is the controversy about the new “Wuthering Heights” film?
Even before the trailer of the new “Wuthering Heights” film dropped, images from the set of the movie had already started to spark debates online about the historical accuracy of the film adaptation. The iconic shot of Margot Robbie in a wedding gown from the trailer caught the attention of critics who pointed out this elaborate, white dress with a voluminous skirt would have never been a choice for Catherine’s wedding day as it does not match the fashion sensibilities or the wedding traditions of the time.
The custom of white wedding dresses did not exist until Queen Victoria wore white for the occasion of her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840 and given that Catherine’ s wedding in the novel takes place around 40 years before this, she would have just opted to wear her Sunday best on her wedding day and this dress would have been in keeping with the fashion of the time, which was long, flowing dresses with empire waistlines – quite unlike the poufy, exaggerated silhouette of Margot Robbie’s dress in the film.
After the trailer was released, literary enthusiasts and film critics alike were quite divided on how authentic this adaptation would be, as it seemed to lean more into the cinematic style and visual storytelling of the director’s previous work Saltburn. The glimpses we got of the characters, shots and dialogues in the teaser are undeniably loaded with sensual appeal and fans of the novel are concerned if this overly erotic portrayal is going to diminish the class-based struggle, undertones of racial oppression and the elevated sense of human connection and emotions that were pivotal to the original work.
Marketed with billboards featuring captions like “drive me mad” and “come undone”, there are suggestions that the movie is being tailored to the tastes of a younger, Gen-Z audience. One X user even commented – “Wuthering heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi featuring Charli xcx on the soundtrack is kinda the matcha Dubai chocolate Labubu of film” – alluding to how the film seems to be a nod to everything that is modern, contemporary and trendy in pop culture. And the team behind the film seems to be embracing this too as artist Charli XCX responded by sharing this tweet on her TikTok page as well.
What race was Heathcliff?
The other main point of contention was around the race of Healthcliff’s character. While his ethnicity was deliberately kept ambiguous in the book, he was often referred to as a "dark-skinned gypsy" by other characters in the book. This created a long-standing literary imagination of Heathcliff being a dominant, masculine character who could quite possibly be a person of colour. This is also what led to backlash after seeing Jacob Elordi being cast as Heathcliff.
But despite all the divided opinion, the trailer seems to promise an interesting take on a classic novel and it would be wonderful to see the work of a talented director, coupled with the captivating music and brilliant visual storytelling that seems to be at the heart of the adaptation. The fact that the title card of the film is deliberately placed in quotation marks – “Wuthering Heights” – in itself seems to suggest that there is more to the director’s creative vision that would be unfolding in the movie. The stellar cast known for their iconic performances is yet another reason why the new “Wuthering Heights” film 2026 is highly anticipated.
Where is “Wuthering Heights” being filmed?
The film was primarily shot in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the UK with other locations including Arkengarthdale and Swaledale, and Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire.
"Wuthering heights" 2026 release date
The new "Wuthering Heights" film is set to be a Valentines’ Day release and will hit the theatres on 13 February 2026.
Akhila Thomas is a digital writer at Yours.co.uk and her areas of interest are beauty, fashion, food, wellness and lifestyle. She has previously written for magazines like Leftlion, Women’s Health and t’Art and worked extensively with art, culture, fashion and social media trends. She also likes to travel and explore new cultures and cuisines.