FURY FROM PERIOD-DRAMA ENTHUSIASTS AS 'WUTHERING HEIGHTS' REMAKE DROPS

Newsweek Exclusive Feature

Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star in the “Wuthering Heights” trailer, which has sparked debate over casting and period accuracy.

The first trailer for Emerald Fennell's Wuthering Heights dropped this week, and within hours, its steamy scenes, presented in a TikTok-like edit with Charli XCX playing in the background, had ignited a storm of debate across the internet.

While the film has the backing of Margot Robbie's production company and features two of Hollywood's biggest names—Robbie herself, and Jacob Elordi—it is facing fierce pushback from period-drama purists and film buffs alike. They say the project risks prioritizing style and spectacle over capturing the essence of Emily Brontë's 1847 novel.

Erin Johnson, a historian and novelist, told Newsweek that the film threatens to fall into similar traps as the recent BBC medieval drama King & Conqueror, with what she deems inauthentic language, questionable costumes, and brilliant actors who may just find themselves being oversexualized to appease audiences.

"Watching the Wuthering Heights trailer felt like watching Fifty Shades of Grey, the 19th-century version," Johnson said. "Period-drama purists want a drama to hold true to certain truths: a decent depiction of what life was like back in the time period; an attempt at authentic language and costumes; and staying true to the original story."

A Divisive First Look

When a still of Robbie in costume leaked from set earlier this year, it went viral, sparking concerns that she looked too modern and too "perfect" to convincingly portray Catherine Earnshaw, a character written as a teenager in the late-18th century.

The newly-dropped teaser has reignited those debates, with many viewers arguing that both Robbie, 35, and Elordi, 28, appear older than the characters Brontë originally envisioned.

The promotional poster for Wuthering Heights.

Johnson echoed this sentiment: "While I have no doubt Robbie and Elordi will be brilliant at portraying the roles of lovers, their literary characters are younger and should have that uncertainty and boundless devil-may-care attitude that comes from being in one's younger years."

Social-Media Reactions

Clips and reels of the trailer have been circulating widely on TikTok and Instagram, where fans have been quick to express frustration.

One creator, @vivafalastinleen, said in a reel on September 3 that it is "insane how [a story about race and class] has been whitewashed and sanitized in such a way that it is just a flashy romance."

Another creator, @nooriekhalid, posted that the "Wuthering Heights movie is such a disaster already," a comment that has since been liked almost 30,000 times.

Similarly, @authormmcmahon, criticized the casting of Elordi as Heathcliff, calling it "inappropriate." That post has been liked more than 85,000 times.

However, not all responses have been negative.

One creator, @ashleepradella, described the initial film poster as "hot," reflecting a smaller but enthusiastic group of fans who appear eager for Fennell's glossy reinterpretation off the back of her crowd-pleaser, Saltburn.

A New Era of Period Drama?

The debate over Fennell's film fits into a broader conversation about how period dramas are being reimagined for millennial and Gen Z audiences who grew up on teen dramas with chaotic romantic storylines.

Johnson pointed to Netflix's Bridgerton as the catalyst toward period stories shifting away from historical accuracy. The popular series is known for its unnaturally bright color palette, modern music, and complete disregard for contemporary attitudes of the day toward race and gender.

"But we have to appreciate it is fiction and strays far from historical accuracy," Johnson said.

For many critics, the concern is less about innovation and more about what gets lost in translation.

"With this new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, purists will be looking for actors with natural beauty, warts and all, and, so far, they seem disappointed," Johnson said.

The 'iPhone Face' Debate

One recurring criticism of modern casting in period dramas is the prevalence of what some have called "iPhone face"—actors whose features, shaped by fillers, Botox, and cosmetic enhancements, can appear out of place in a historical context.

Johnson said that such casting choices create an unrealistic impression of beauty in an era where smallpox outbreaks were common and the physical scarring on some people would have been severe.

"And that's not even considering the mercury treatments some people would take for syphilis," Johnson added.

Heathcliff and Casting Controversy

Perhaps the most-contentious casting decision has been that of Heathcliff.

In Brontë's novel, the character is racially ambiguous and described as having a "dark" complexion, leading some scholars to interpret him as Romani, Black or of mixed ethnicity.

Johnson questioned why Elordi, an Australian of European descent, was chosen for the role when an ethnically ambiguous actor could have been given the opportunity.

"This feels like a missed opportunity to showcase talented and lesser-known actors of Black or mixed-race ethnicity," Johnson said, "rather than Caucasian Hollywood heartthrobs we have seen before.

"And as Brontë wrote this before slavery was abolished in the U.K. and U.S., she may have been trying to make a point about interracial romance."

Roy Schwartz, a pop-culture historian and author, told Newsweek he feels differently about the prospect of Elordi as Heathcliff. He said that critics have lost the ability to distinguish between sociopolitical merit and artistic merit.

"In the novel, Heathcliff is described as a 'dark-skinned gipsy,' but it is ambiguous," Schwartz said. "He is hinted to be Spanish, Latino, Indian, or Southeast Asian.

"That is important to some of the themes of the novel, but I do not think it is essential to the story. And the film clearly is not going for the layered complexity of the novel."

Familiar Faces in Familiar Roles

Another frustration for some fans is the perception that directors repeatedly cast the same circle of Hollywood stars rather than offering opportunities to new talent.

Robbie's involvement as both lead actor and producer has heightened that sense of exclusivity.

For critics, it represents a wider issue in contemporary filmmaking: a preference for bankable names over authenticity.

The choice of Charli XCX for the soundtrack—a pop star known for her edgy, hyperpop sound—has only added to the impression that this adaptation will prioritize cultural currency over period fidelity.

Rage Bait or Reinvention?

Some have speculated that the outrage itself is part of the film's marketing strategy, with Robbie already being hailed a marketing genius after the box-office success of Barbie in 2023.

Johnson said that the trailer might be a prime example of rage-bait marketing, as the purists will come out in force.

"Will we see the film? Yes. Will we rant and post TikToks about it? Yes. But will we find it a fulfilling and tragic love story, true to Brontë's original tale? I'm not so sure," she said.

Schwartz said that the backlash online is, at its core, meaningless while the film still has not been released.

"This movie, set for release in 2026, is clearly not aiming to be a faithful adaptation of the novel," he said. "It is 'based on,' which leaves a lot of room for artistic license.

"Even the title conveys this—'Wuthering Heights'—in quotation marks."

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