Info in Movie News | Fennell's next Wuthering Heights remake is the topic of conversation everywhere in the industry. The thing that sets this movie apart from all the other versions is that the director dares to alter the storyline. Fennell says that her movie is definitely not a period romance but a brooding, intricately psychological drama of characters who are imperfect and whose feelings are eruptive and which she is delivering as an upscale TV series. It is less about recreating Brontë’s moors and more about diving into the souls wandering through them.
According to Variety, the freshly brewed version of the movie is centered with a keen and deliberate emphasis on the characters of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, remaking them as the two main characters having the most complex psychological conflicts in the story. Variety talks about Fennell's intention to not just revisit the standard doomed love tale but to rather delve into the themes of emotional scars, ancestral trauma, and toxic attachment. The concept immediately aligns the project with today’s most successful character-first series, including Euphoria, Normal People, and certain arcs of The Crown. Under this guidance Wuthering Heights is changed to be more of a detailed psychological portrait and less of a period piece.
One of the major reasons that Margot Robbie, who portrays Catherine and is producing via LuckyChap Entertainment, has been so bubbly and excited about her version is that it is so significant. She referred to Catherine not as a love icon, but as a human being who was impacted by disorder, survival instincts, broken family, and a complex desire for control. Robbie points out that previous versions had her as a mere symbol of tragic love and that Fennell’s feature-length movie finally allows the character to show her paradoxes: angry yet loving, manipulative yet innocent, magnetic yet self-destructive. Such a character is better developed in the episodic nature of a series rather than a limited movie duration.
On the other hand, Heathcliff is not a stereotype either and is approached with similar fervor. Jacob Elordi embodies the character, thus, following his break-out performances in Euphoria and Saltburn, he is once again the bearer of raw energy. To the extreme of being emotionally unstable nature, Elordi’s Heathcliff is the least of romantic antihero type and the most of a person whose development is based on violence, social rejection and obsessive devotion. The Variety report citing the creative team says that Heathcliff is not a “good man,” rather, he is a "damaged and damaging" entity—this is exactly the type of deeply flawed characters the audience of today are attracted to. The relationship with Catherine, the one based on obsession rather than idealized love, becomes the emotional conflict of the story’s core.
Among the supporting characters, the roles of Alison Oliver as Isabella Linton and Owen Cooper as young Heathcliff are mentioned, with both getting recognition for their emotionally rich performances of the deeply complex characters. Additionally, Hong Chau and Shazad Latif become a part of the cast and thus, provide more layers to the world surrounding the Earnshaw and Linton families. The decision in the casting is indicative of a firm resolve to authenticity and emotional heft which Fennell is determined to bring forth.
Without a doubt, the director Fennell didn't do it all by herself in the creative aspect, she brought in a team of great people who've had a lot of experience in high-end TV series. For instance, a pretty significant and attractive visual style is achieved since the lighting and camera work are supervised by a director of photography who was a part of The Handmaid's Tale. Charli XCX, for the score, creates new pieces that blend classical elements with modern textures, thus, giving the show a sound that is eerie yet surprising. It is a fascinating contrast that reflects the combination of the series' historical setting and the modernness of the characters' emotions.
Such a treatment is distinctly far away from the previous live action versions that, for the most part, were heavily inclined towards the Victorian authenticity and polished period drama visuals. Instead, Fennell merges the elements of a 20th-century melodrama with the present-day storytelling sensibilities which results in a world that is exaggerated but still emotionally relatable. Variety points out that this unusual tonal hybrid could attract younger viewers who prefer emotionally intense narratives over traditional costume drama quietness.
The new Wuthering Heights that was expected to be released in the first quarter of 2026 is going to be next year’s most talked-about series for sure. The only people that are waiting for the novel to be read and then the series to be made are not only the fans of the book, but also the people who want to have more character-centered stories which are still very authentic, risky, and have a profound human nature. Fennell might be able to change the whole concept of how a classic can be turned into a contemporary one and still be high-quality TV if she gives us what she teases.
Source Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
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