Oscar-winning filmmaker teams up with Hollywood stars for a bold retelling of the Brontë classic.
Academy Award winner Emerald Fennell’s highly anticipated adaptation of Wuthering Heights has just become even more exciting with the announcement that Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi will star as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively. Robbie, an Academy Award nominee, and Elordi, a BAFTA nominee, bring star power to the iconic roles in Fennell’s modern take on Emily Brontë’s timeless romance.
The film will be produced by MRC in collaboration with LuckyChap, Robbie’s production company, marking the third partnership between Fennell and LuckyChap. This collaboration follows their work on 2020’s Promising Young Woman, which earned Fennell the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and 2023’s Saltburn. Fennell also appeared in LuckyChap’s blockbuster hit Barbie, which grossed $1.4 billion globally and earned multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Wuthering Heights, currently in pre-production, is set to begin filming in the U.K. in 2025. Fennell first teased the project in July, sharing a quote from the novel on social media: “Be with me always – Take any form – Drive me mad,” sparking speculation and excitement.
The casting of Robbie and Elordi has reunited much of the Saltburn team, with fans wondering if Barry Keoghan, who played the lead in that film, might join the cast. Keoghan has expressed interest, telling Variety, “Anything that Emerald puts her hands on, I’m there. She’s incredible.”
Robbie has been a vocal supporter of Fennell’s vision and creative prowess. “Emerald immerses you into a world so quickly. She’s so masterful at tone and plot,” Robbie said in an interview, adding that Fennell’s storytelling leaves a lasting impact on audiences.
The film will be a long-awaited moment for fans of Robbie, who have yet to see her in a lead role in one of Fennell’s films. While Robbie produced Promising Young Woman, the lead role went to Carey Mulligan, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance. With Wuthering Heights, Robbie is finally stepping in front of Fennell’s camera.
Robbie’s upcoming projects also include Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, due out in May 2025, and LuckyChap’s off-Broadway play The Big Gay Jamboree. Meanwhile, Elordi, fresh off his role as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, is set to star in Justin Kurzel’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
As the cinematic adaptation of Wuthering Heights approaches, the collaboration between Fennell, Robbie, and Elordi promises to deliver a fresh and captivating take on one of literature’s most haunting love stories. Fans of the classic novel and contemporary cinema alike are eagerly awaiting what is sure to be a powerful and unforgettable film.
