The new ‘Wuthering Heights’ trailer is steamy, chaotic, and totally dividing the internet

Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, and a Charli XCX soundtrack? Let's just say the Brontë purists are clutching their pearls.

Sep 9, 2025

Move over, chocolates and roses—this Valentine’s Day, Warner Bros is serving something far messier, hotter, and way more chaotic: Wuthering Heights as you’ve never seen it.

Who would have thought that Emily Brontë's classic novel about love, obsession, and betrayal would turn into a pop culture spectacle? With Emerald Fennell at the helm, the provocative teaser seems to have glossed over the problematic parts of the relationship entirely to focus only on the sexual, with Charli XCX's 'Everything is Romantic' as the song of choice. Clearly, Warner Bros is all set to give us the most chaotic Valentine’s Day gift yet.

What’s the issue?

The trailer opens with a breathtaking countryside view before quickly pivoting to longing glances, suggestive touches, and a breathless closing invitation to “come undone.” Fennell’s signature style is on full display: decadent cinematography, emotionally charged scenes, and her trademark provocation—which, unsurprisingly, has sparked a mix of excitement and eye-rolls online.

Emily Brontë’s original story is no sweet romance. It’s angst, rebellion, shockingly selfish behaviour, and a whole lot of red flags disguised as devotion. At its core, though, it’s a powerful exploration of obsessive, possessive, and stubborn love. And who’s to say Catherine and Heathcliff’s all-consuming relationship—darkly aspirational to some, toxic to others—was “wrong”? Fennell, fresh off the unhinged Saltburn, has clearly decided this version needs less brooding and more visual spectacle: slow-motion kisses, sensual close-ups, surreal feasts, dream sequences, and Heathcliff looking like he stepped out of a luxury ad.

From a visual perspective, this trailer veers far from previous, more reserved adaptations. The modern pop soundtrack only heightens the divide: loyalists argue the glossy, stylised touches take away from the novel’s Gothic essence. Fans are split—some are here for the sensual fever dream, others want their Brontë with more gloom and less erotic slow-mo.

Casting: Margot, Jacob, and… Controversy

Margot Robbie, fresh off Barbie, plays Catherine, bringing glamour, chaos, and undeniable box-office clout. Opposite her is Jacob Elordi, Gen-Z’s favourite six-foot-five heartthrob, as Heathcliff. Cue swoons… and also, drama. In Brontë’s novel, Heathcliff’s ambiguous, possibly non-white identity is a major driving force throughout the novel, because it shapes how the world treats him. Elordi is very much white, and this casting choice has sparked discussion. Some are fuming over erasure, others claim his cheekbones are sharper than Heathcliff’s temper.

Supporting roles include Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, and Alison Oliver, plus young Catherine and Heathcliff, played by Charlotte Mellington and Owen Cooper. The vibe? Prestige meets chaos.

Messy or visionary?

Another thing that has Brontë scholars all worked up? The unapologetic music score. Instead of moody violins, we get Charli XCX belting a number. Could a 19th-century love story really be set to a hyper-pop queen? It’s not the first time adaptations have strayed from original details, but it’s certainly one of the most divisive ones so far.

But here’s the real dispute. Readers have long debated whether Wuthering Heights can be classified as an enduring love story or a Gothic tragedy with streaks of abuse. Fennell, in her adaptation, is clearly leaning into the “doomed romance” angle, making people wonder if every remake should be cast in the same mould, or is there room for reinterpretation?

Beyond whether you personally ship Robbie and Elordi, this Wuthering Heights says a lot about how studios treat literary classics now. Reverence? Out. Reinvention? In.

The movie lands on February 13, 2026—ready to either ruin or spice up your Valentine’s Day plans. Will it be a sensual masterpiece that brings Brontë to Gen Z? Or a glossy swooning dream that makes lit teachers everywhere weep? It’s too early to tell. But if this gamble pays off, we wouldn’t be surprised if Jane Eyre gets a Sabrina Carpenter soundtrack next.

Lead image: IMDb

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The new ‘Wuthering Heights’ trailer is steamy, chaotic, and totally dividing the internet

Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, and a Charli XCX soundtrack? Let's just say the Brontë purists are clutching their pearls.

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