In case you've missed the highlights from the, at times, very intense press tour — which has included declarations of love, to-die-for wardrobes and dodgy accents — the remake of Wuthering Heights is set to release soon, and it looks like it's going to become an instant cult classic.
Starring Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie (arguably the two hottest actors in the world rn), the 2026 remake of Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell (who also made Saltburn), is being described as ‘hot’, ‘steamy’ and everything else in between.
The trailer, which was released at the end of last year, set the internet alight for its daring use of modern soundtrack, wardrobe and bold directorial choices. It showed that — if it was ever in question — Fennell has indeed put her larger-than-life, daring stamp on the classic Emily Brontë novel.
ICYMI, the trailer is a fever dream of Margot Robbie (doing her level best Northern accent, but somehow still sounding completely Aussie) and a smouldering Jacob Elordi making eyes at each other amid shots of gothic moors and heaving corsets, all set to Everything Is Romantic by Charli XCX. Yes, this version of Wuthering Heights is going to be modern, sexy, stylised and, needless to say, extremely divisive. Consider us seated.
Here's everything else that you need to know about the new film:
When is Wuthering Heights out in UK cinemas?
If you don't have plans for Valentine's Day sorted already, here's a date for your diary — Wuthering Heights is set to release in UK cinemas on February 13th, 2026, and will be available in most major UK cinema chains, including Vue, Odeon, Cineworld, and Everyman.
Who’s in the cast with Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi?
Other than the two major stars, the film includes a diverse mix of acting talent including Owen Cooper; fresh off the back of his Adolescence fame, he plays a young Heathcliff. Fellow Saltburn alumni, Alison Oliver, plays Isabella Linton. Hong Chau (who you might know from The Whale) plays Nelly Dean, the housekeeper. And we also have good old Martin Clunes thrown in there for good measure.
What is Wuthering Heights about?
Most importantly, what is the film about, you might ask? To that, we say: ask your English teacher! Jkjk. Published in 1847 and written by Emily Bronte, the novel is a brutal and passionate love story between a Byronic anti-hero (Heathcliff) and Catherine Earnshaw (Cathy), his forbidden, well-born love. Lotta jealousy, lotta death.
For those who'd like an outline of the plot which might include spoilers, read on: Despite having immense romantic chemistry, Cathy chooses not to marry Heathcliff but to instead pair with the wealthy Edgar Linton (played in the film by Shazad Latif). Feeling scorned Heathcliff leaves and returns a wealthy man, but sets out to seek revenge on the next generation of Earnshaws and Lintons. We won't tell you how it ends, but it's all very dramatic.
The controversy surrounding Emerald Fennell’s film
As with Saltburn and Promising Young Woman, any Emerald Fennell production isn't without its backlash. Her unique approach to filmmaking, embracing risks and bold choices (as well as the fact that she's a woman, probably) means her films always seem to receive a large amount of criticism.
Sometimes, we're sorry to say, Emerald, it's not without cause. Some fans haven't been happy with the casting choices, saying that Margot Robbie is ‘too old’ at 35 to play Catherine, who in the book is a teenager. Fans have also suggested the age difference between the two actors is too obvious on screen, with Margot being 35 and Jacob Elordi, 28.
There has also been significant controversy surrounding the casting of Jacob Elordi. As a white Australian, he isn't exactly the “dark skinned gipsy” the novel describes Heathcliff as. Emerald has doubled-down on her casting decisions, however, telling BBC News that Jacob “looked exactly like the illustration of Heathcliff on the first book that I read,” and explaining to The Hollywood Reporter that “this book has such a personal connection to it, and so you can only ever kind of make the movie that you sort of imagined yourself when you read it.”
Whatever anyone has to say, there's no denying that the chemistry between Jacob and Margot is absolutely off the charts. And the mere suggestion of Jacob Elordi's abs is enough to get us out of the house and along to the nearest cinema faster than you can say “Heathcliff”.
In her gothic romance era.
