Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi's 'Wuthering Heights' Remake Sparks Controversy Over "Whitewashing" Claims After Steamy Teaser Release

‘Wuthering Heights’: Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi Set Screens Ablaze in Emerald Fennell’s Steamy Teaser — Fans DividedEmily Bronte's timeless gothic romance 'Wuthering Heights' is returning to the big screen, this time with an erotic twist from filmmaker Emerald Fennell. The Oscar-winning writer-director unveiled the first teaser for her adaptation, which stars Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, sparking both excitement and backlash online.The project, produced by Fennell alongside Robbie, is slated for release on February 13, 2026, perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day weekend.The teaser hints at a visually grand and erotically charged retelling of the 1847 classic, centred on the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff. Early footage set to the score of Charlie XCX, showcases intimate moments between Robbie and Elordi, earning comparisons to 'bodice-ripper' romances like 'Bridgerton' and even 'Fifty Shades'.One fan tweeted, 'emily bronte is rising from her grave as we speak because why did they turn wuthering heights into fifty shades of heathcliff and cathy"Another quipped, "should be called “(things that did not happen in) wuthering heights”While fans praised the film’s striking visuals, many voiced concerns over the adaptation. Critics on social media accused Fennell of turning a story about class, race, generational trauma, and abuse into a “whitewashed romance” tailored for modern audiences. The casting of Elordi as Heathcliff has been particularly contentious, given the character’s frequent description as dark-skinned in Brontë’s text.A fan commented, "not to be that one friend who is too woke but bleaching the class and racial otherness out of wuthering heights to sell a horny whitewashed romance genuinely pisses me off.""Seriously though If emerald fennell wanted to make an erotic period drama i wish she would have just used an original story instead of whitewashing wuthering heights," tweeted another.Still another said, "visually pretty but entirely hollow & wrong. this has nothing to do with wuthering heights, looks more like a bodice ripper / bridgerton adaptation. idk what fennell was thinking with this project, it’s truly horrendous & insulting to the source material. just ew"Another added, "I wish i did not live to see the day wuthering heights, a beautiful gothic novel about the cycle of generational trauma with themes of race, class, religion, mental illness, abuse, etc., was adapted into a white washed dark romance booktok bodice ripper with a hyperpop soundtrack."Casting director Kharmel Cochrane, speaking at the Sands International Film Festival earlier this year, acknowledged the criticism but defended the creative choice. “There’s definitely going to be some English lit fans that are not going to be happy,” she said, joking that audiences should “wait until you see it” before judging. He went on to assert, “It’s just a book… It’s all art.”The cast also includes Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell.