A teaser trailer for an upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights drew widespread online ridicule Wednesday for what viewers described as an overtly sexualized tone and for casting and creative choices that many said diverged sharply from the 1847 novel.
The short clip, from director Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, prompted a flood of snark on social media. Commenters targeted the trailer’s sensual atmosphere, the apparent age difference between Robbie and Brontë’s teenage protagonist, and the decision to include new original music by pop artist Charli XCX.
Many fans of the Gothic classic pointed to perceived inconsistencies between the text and the images in the trailer. In Brontë’s novel the central relationship is between Heathcliff and his foster sister Catherine, a romance that begins in adolescence and ultimately deteriorates into cruelty and bitterness. Critics online noted that Robbie, a well-known star in her 30s, is substantially older than the novel’s Catherine, and expressed unease about a trailer that foregrounded eroticism in scenes tied to a story that begins with teenage characters.
The casting of Elordi as Heathcliff ignited additional discussion about how adaptations handle the character’s racial description. Brontë described Heathcliff as “dark-skinned,” and scholars and readers have long debated his ethnicity. Fans cited prior screen adaptations that have made explicit racial casting choices as part of the ongoing conversation about how to portray Heathcliff on screen.
Fennell, who earned attention for directing Promising Young Woman, has been noted for provocative stylistic choices in past work. Observers said those tendencies appeared to carry into the Wuthering Heights teaser, which several viewers described as a markedly modern, stylized interpretation rather than a straightforward period retelling.
Some commentators framed their reactions as playful mockery: memes and jokes drew attention to the trailer’s music, poses and cinematography. Others raised questions about faithfulness to source material and the ethics of depicting a relationship that originates in adolescence in a sexualized manner when older actors portray the characters.
Producers have positioned the project as a new cinematic take on Brontë’s novel, and the teaser appears intended to set a distinct aesthetic and tone. The social media backlash illustrates how early promotional materials for literary adaptations can prompt immediate debate over casting, representation and interpretation before a film’s wider release.
As reactions circulated online, supporters of reimagined adaptations pointed out that filmmakers often update or reframe classic texts for contemporary audiences and that choices such as period stylization and original music are common tools. The exchange underscores continuing tensions among audiences, scholars and creators over how canonical works should be adapted for modern screens and who should be cast in iconic roles.