F\ufeffans of a gothic period piece have been well and truly fed this morning with the release of <\/span>the first trailer<\/span><\/a> for Emerald Fennell’s upcoming adaption of <\/span>Wuthering Heights.<\/span><\/p>\n The film sees two of Australia’s biggest stars, <\/span>Margot Robbie<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Jacob Elordi<\/span><\/a>, take on the leading roles from \ufeffEmily Bront\u00eb’s 1847 novel, but they’ve <\/span>already received a slew of backlash<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Following the release of the trailer, it seems fans are torn between a love for Fennell’s \ufeffcinematic style and disappointment in the director’s disregard for the sentiment of the source material.<\/span><\/p>\n Watch the video above.\ufeff<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE: \ufeff<\/span><\/strong>Bruce Willis’ wife on ‘heartbreaking’ decision amid his health battle<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Keep reading for everything we know so far about the 2026 adaptation of <\/span>Wuthering Heights.\ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n On Thursday, September 4, Aussies woke to see find the highly-anticipated first trailer for Fennell’s take on <\/span>Wuthering Heights<\/span> had been released.<\/span><\/p>\n The 1:31 minute clip sees Robbie’s Catherine Earnshaw torn between her duty to class and undeniable attraction to Elordi’s Heathcliff.<\/span><\/p>\n While some fans were delighted by the release, others weren’t so thrilled.<\/span><\/p>\n \ufeffWhile Fennell (the mind behind <\/span>Saltburn<\/span> and <\/span>Promising Young Woman<\/span>) is known for her hyper-stylised aesthetic, often telling stories of a harsh nature through a glamorous lense, some fans seem to think she has taken things too far with her reimagination of the 1847 novel.<\/span><\/p>\n “Ya hear that? That was the breathless gasp of the corpse of the author having a stake nailed through her heart,” one viewer wrote on YouTube.<\/span><\/p>\n For a daily dose of 9honey,<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>subscribe to our newsletter here<\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n However, others have argued that to bring a story nearing two centuries old to life for a 2026 audience, it would require nothing less than Fennell’s unsettling narrative style.<\/span><\/p>\n But, no matter what viewers think of our first glimpse of the film, there is no denying the controversy that has shrouded the movie since the cast was first announced. \ufeff<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Aussie Logie winners who became Hollywood stars<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Robbie and Elordi were \ufeffannounced as Catherine and Heathcliff back in September 2024, and immediately the internet was enraged.<\/span><\/p>\n The team behind the film has been accused of white-washing by casting Elordi, a white man, in the role of Heathcliff.<\/span><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/span><\/strong> <\/span>\ufeff’Crikey’: Robert Irwin on how his dad would have reacted to his new gig<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n While \ufeffBront\u00eb never explicitly states Heathcliff’s ethnicity in the novel, she describes him as “dark-skinned” and his racial ambiguity becomes a major part of his storyline as he is treated as less-than on the basis of his race.<\/span><\/p>\n In the novel, Bront\u00eb also reveals Heathcliff was found as a child in Liverpool before being adopted, an area that would have operated as a major port for Britain’s transatlantic slave trade at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n \ufeffAll this to say, fans were outraged by the decision to cast Elordi in the role \u2013 especially since previous adaptations have seen other white actors such as Tom Hardy (2009) and Ralph Fiennes (1992) take on the role. <\/span><\/p>\n Many argue we should now be able to recognise a social responsibility for representation in film.<\/span><\/p>\n But it isn’t just the white-washing of Heathcliff that had fans up in arms, although it was the main point \u2013 many also argued Robbie was the wrong choice for Catherine.<\/span><\/p>\n **\ufeffWuthering Heights spoilers below**<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n You’ve had nearly two decades to read the novel, so if you haven’t by now, just know you’re stepping into spoiler territory here.<\/span><\/p>\nWe finally have a poster and trailer for the new – and already controversial – Wuthering Heights film. (Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/span><\/p>\n
Trailer release<\/span><\/h2>\n
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star as Catherine and Heathcliff. (YouTube\/Warner Bros)<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\n
\ufeffCasting controversy<\/span><\/h2>\n
Fans have criticised Elordi’s casting for white-washing of the character. (YouTube\/Warner Bros)<\/span><\/p>\n
People are arguing Robbie is too old to take on the role of Catherine. (YouTube\/Warner Bros)<\/span><\/p>\n