The 2026 movie version of Wuthering Heights, which Emerald Fennell directs, transforms Emily Brontë’s 1847 Gothic novel into a dark romance that unfolds on the Yorkshire moors. The movie stars Margot Robbie as the headstrong Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as the silent Heathcliff, who share a deep connection that starts during their youth. After Heathcliff is adopted by the Earnshaw family, he suffers discrimination until Mr. Earnshaw passes away, which creates social conflict and puts his forbidden romance at risk.
Heathcliff leaves after Catherine marries the aristocratic Edgar Linton, but he returns as a wealthy man who seeks revenge, which brings about catastrophic events. Fennell’s adaptation shows extreme love through its powerful visual elements and contemporary design elements, which include sophisticated costume designs. Wuthering Heights was released on February 13, 2026, is now showing in theaters across the United States.
People will be able to rent or buy the movie through digital platforms such as Prime Video and Apple TV starting in late March or April 2026. The Wuthering Heights adaptation reduces the story to its main relationship while changing important details from the book, which includes the ending that shows Catherine dying without seeing Heathcliff again.
Overview of the original Wuthering Heights novel story
The novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë presents its story across multiple generations in England between the late 18th century and the early 19th century. The story unfolds through a frame narrative, which Nelly Dean, the housekeeper, tells to the tenant Mr. Lockwood. The story follows Heathcliff, whom Mr. Earnshaw brought to their home after his parents abandoned him. The orphan develops a close bond with Catherine but he suffers from bullying by Hindley who wants to take his father’s estate.
Catherine chooses to marry Edgar Linton because of his higher social rank which leads to Heathcliff’s emotional devastation. He departs from his home but comes back as a wealthy man who marries Isabella, Edgar’s sister, to take revenge on his enemy. After giving birth to Cathy, Catherine develops a serious illness which leads to her death.
The second half shifts to the next generation: Heathcliff schemes revenge by controlling Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, forcing marriages between young Cathy, his son Linton, and Hindley’s son Hareton. Heathcliff’s obsession leads to his death, allowing young Cathy and Hareton to find peace. The story explores themes of love and revenge and social class, together with ghostly supernatural elements. The novel unfolds over three decades which showcase intricate relationships among its characters.
Summary of the Wuthering Heights plot
The 2026 Wuthering Heights adaptation by Emerald Fennell presents the story through a straight narrative which differs from the novel’s multiple storytelling frameworks. The story starts when Mr. Earnshaw brings young Heathcliff to his Yorkshire home. There, he develops a friendship with Catherine whom he meets on the moors. After Mr. Earnshaw died Heathcliff faced obstacles while Catherine became friends with the Linton family.
Edgar’s marriage to her forced Heathcliff to leave but he returned with wealth. His marriage to Isabella Linton increased the existing conflicts. Catherine becomes pregnant but her emotional distress causes her to develop a medical condition. The film shows graphic s*xual scenes between Catherine and Heathcliff which the book does not contain, while depicting their relationship as an obsessive bond.
The story ends with Catherine dying from complications which show blood accumulation and Heathcliff walking into the snow because he wants to join her in death. The adaptation runs 136 minutes while showing visual elements through its use of bright historical costume designs and its display of sensual scenes. The adaptation excludes the second half of the book by presenting only the first generation family drama.
Wuthering Heights: Key character changes
The Wuthering Heights film replaces its original characters with new ones to create a shorter storytelling. Hindley Earnshaw, who serves as Catherine’s brother and the novel’s primary antagonist through his pursuit of Heathcliff, has been completely omitted from the story. Mr. Earnshaw exhibits favoritism toward his children which develops into family disputes throughout the story.
The adaptation presents Catherine and Heathcliff as characters who have aged beyond their teenage years from the book because their story requires more mature content. Heathcliff appears as a Byronic hero who displays his moody nature through his frequent shirtless appearance while he prioritizes romantic relationships above the violent aspects of the novel.
Isabella Linton’s arc is shortened; she marries Heathcliff but her later abuse and escape are minimized. The primary storyteller of the book has reduced Nelly Dean’s role because she does not perform any storytelling tasks. Edgar Linton maintains his noble character but his conflicts with others have been simplified. The second-generation characters. young Cathy, Linton Heathcliff, and Hareton are omitted, eliminating intergenerational dynamics. The two main characters experience increased love through these changes.
Differences in the endings
The Wuthering Heights movie adaptation shows a different conclusion than the original book ending. Catherine dies after giving birth to Cathy in the book which shows her emotional reunion with Heathcliff that Nelly organized. The narrative shows Heathcliff executing his revenge until his death which brings closure to the younger characters. The movie shows its ending at the midpoint when Catherine dies from an illness after experiencing a miscarriage, resulting in no child being born.
The character hallucinates a conversation with Heathcliff while she never experiences their actual last encounter. A violent scene shows blood spreading out from her body. Heathcliff enters the snowy moors to experience his deep sorrow which leads him to either die or meet her spirit. The story reaches its romantic yet tragic conclusion because it ends without the book’s cycle of vengeance or redemption. Fennell chose this to capture the story’s essence in a two-hour format, focusing on the core love story rather than generations.
Other notable alterations
The modern elements of the film extend beyond its main plot and its main characters. The movie includes more direct s*xual content between Catherine and Heathcliff which the book only hints at through its narrative. The costumes create a combination of Regency fashion with fantasy elements which include latex and sparkles to create a different visual style than the book’s authentic historical period.
The story switches from its previous multiple-narrator approach to tell its events through a single chronological path. The novel presents violent scenes and abusive behavior but the film version presents less severe animal mistreatment and extreme violent scenes to emphasize romantic elements. The ending of the story suggests the presence of ghosts through its supernatural elements but these elements remain unexplored.
The main characters now possess higher ages which enables actors to play their roles as adult characters. The artistic modifications to the visual medium achieve the book’s emotional impact because they remove the themes of incest and long-term revenge. Fennell described her adaptation as her personal vision which had to meet the requirements of making a movie.
Stay tuned for more upcoming updates.
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Hilfa, Senior Writer at Hilvaro, excels in pop culture journalism. She crafts engaging content on movies, TV, & trends, fueled by her love for storytelling & entertainment.
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