The undeniable sexual tension between Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie is exploding in the official trailer and a brand new poster for *Wuthering Heights*, the adaptation penned by Emerald Fennell, writer-director of *Saltburn*. The film stars the beloved literary couple, Catherine Earnshaw and the orphan Heathcliff, brought to life by Robbie and Elordi, who were already generating excitement when the casting was announced in September 2024.
The latest adaptation, soundtracked to Charli XCX’s “Everything is Romantic,” is playing up the chemistry between the leads, offering glimpses into Catherine’s blush-inducing fantasies about her family’s bearded lodger. Quick shots of corsets being laced up and fingers dragged across a scarred back in the heat of passion build to a sweat-soaked embrace between Cathy and Heathcliff.
Initial reactions to the trailer have been decidedly mixed. While some praise Fennell’s bold approach, others find the portrayal overly suggestive. Several social media users have likened the trailer to “50 Shades of Brontë,” while one particularly pointed YouTube comment evoked the author’s reaction: “Ya hear that? That was the breathless gasp of the corpse of the author having a stake nailed through her heart.”
Concerns have also been raised about the film’s direction. One viewer noted that Fennell’s take on *Wuthering Heights* seemed “made in a lab to cater to online twitter stans and people who want to make tiktok edits.” Another questioned, “why it’s named after *Wuthering Heights* if it has nothing in common” with the book – a sentiment echoed by previous adaptations starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley, Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, and James Howson and Kaya Scodelario.
Emerald Fennell, known for pushing boundaries with her films like *Saltburn* (particularly Barry Keoghan’s infamous naked dance scene), has praised Robbie’s approach to sexuality on screen. “She’s so masterful at tone and plot; she gets you into it so quickly — you’re just immediately like, ‘I’m in this world,’” Robbie stated. “So by the time you get to something like the bathtub scene, she’s primed you for it. She’s got you. You’re, like, picking at a scab; you’re like, ‘I can’t help myself.’ Or like popping a pimple: ‘I know I shouldn’t squeeze but I’m gonna.’”
Robbie has teased that *Wuthering Heights* (premiering February 13, 2026) will be even “bananas” than *Saltburn*. A new poster released by Warner Bros. Pictures showcases Robbie and Elordi locked in a passionate embrace.