Warner Bros. released the Wuthering Heights official teaser on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and Brontë fans were not shy with their thoughts! They fled to the comment section, expressing their disdain with the most recent adaptation of the classic Gothic romance tale. Many fans said something along the lines of, ‘whoever made this movie clearly hasn’t read Wuthering Heights’.
One user, @Maria_Efe comically stated, “no one would ever guess from watching this which book it’s based on”, while another user, @veronicamoravega7754, with a more ruminative tone, said, “I’ve never felt more contradicted about a film being right up my alley, but being an abomination to the sentiment of the source material, which happens to be one of my favorite books”.
While there are lots of mixed feelings about the modernization of this novel, fans will inevitably flock to theaters on Valentine’s Day to see what it’s all about — at least Warner Bros. is hoping the curiosity and casting will be enough to reel in a solid audience.
Wuthering Heights official trailer fan reactions
Based on the Brontë fandom’s response to the teaser and subsequent Instagram posts about the movie, it’s probably safe to say that fans were hoping for a traditional take on the novel, but with modern cinematography. I think that a classic story can be done well with a modern take, but I must admit that director Emerald Fennell’s adaptation does give the “50 Shades of Bronteë vibe. The original novel is so much more than a medieval erotic romance — it’s also a tale of revenge, the poisoning of social constructs, and the comparison of Nature versus Nurture.
The official trailer does not diverge much at all from the sneak peek we got in the teaser — I actually had a hard time relating the scenery to what I pictured as a teenage reader of Wuthering Heights. The landscape felt dull, and the chemistry between the characters didn’t capture the transition from best friends who fell in love to brute exes destined for romantic torture.
Some fans may fear that the marketing of “the greatest love story ever told” is missing the mark of Brontë’s masterful storytelling. One comment hits the nail on the head, and it’s an approach I’ll have to adapt as well: “I will watch pretending it’s an original film because I know if I watch it as an adaptation I’ll hate it.”.
The director’s take on criticism from fans
Emerald Fennell took on a huge responsibility that will remain under intense scrutiny no matter how successful the movie becomes. She should certainly get her props for even tackling this beast of a script. Still, it’s hard for viewers to refrain from skepticism when it comes to classic romance novels. Wuthering Heights is particularly difficult because of its contrasting themes of love, hate, disdain, and uncontrollable yearning.
Fennell faces some harsh critique for the focus on the sexual nature of Cathy and Heathcliff’s relationship, but also for her casting selection. Jacob Elordi (Heathcliff) played a fantastic role in the remake of Frankenstein, but is he the best fit for the role? The juxtaposition of innocence and darkness that make up Heathcliff’s true character wasn’t portrayed in the trailer.
Co-star, Margot Robbie, has also had some amazing roles recently in Barbie and The Suicide Squad, but Brontë fans have expressed some disappointment that her character doesn’t match the physical description in the original text of Wuthering Heights. Personally, I’m not bothered by this so much because movies do this all the time, but I think it would be nice to see Heathcliff represented by someone who would have been looked down on at the time.
Fennell responded to criticism in an interview with BBC in late September. She shared that she wanted to recreate the feeling she first got from the novel, from the perspective of a 14-year-old teen: “…it’s an emotional response to something. It’s, like, primal, sexual…it’s complicated, it’s just not like anything else…it’s so sexy. It’s so horrible. It’s so devastating.”.
So, it seems that if fans are getting the ‘50 Shades of Brontë’ vibes, then Fennell accomplished exactly what she wanted. She also mentions sticking to the original dialogue closely, so hopefully, viewers will be taken on a journey that satisfies their attachment to the original story. All the controversy could very well drive high box office numbers for the film, enticing fans to feed their curiosity.
Wuthering Heights flaunts into theaters on Feb. 14, 2026.
Get the latest romance movie news and updates from Claire and Jamie.