Period drama lovers have been left up in arms ahead of the launch of Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming adaptation of one of the “greatest books ever”. The new adaptation of the 1850 Emily Brontë classic, famously made into a song by Kate Bush, will be directed by the Oscar-winning director. Brontë’s novel follows the relationship between the families Earnshaw and Linton in rural Yorkshire around 1770.

It also covers the tumultuous relationship between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, an orphan fostered by her father. In September last year, it was announced that Hollywood favourites Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi had been cast as Catherine and Heathcliff. The news was met with disapproval from fans who pointed out the award-winning actors were the wrong age and race for the iconic roles.

On Monday (August 4), the rising director – who made films like Saltburn and Promising Young Woman – hosted her first screening in Dallas, and early impressions suggest the film will be an unusual adaptation.

According to World of Reel, viewers can expect overly-sexualised imagery and graphic scenes of violence which the director has become known for with her work.

It’s fair to say literary fans may be disappointed by the newest adaptation after casting director Kharmel Cochrane doubled down on the casting and said that the set design is “even more shocking” than fans may expect.

Speaking at the Sands Film Festival in St Andrews, Scotland, Deadline claims they said: “There was one Instagram comment that said the casting director should be shot. But just wait till you see it, and then you can decide whether you want to shoot me or not.

"But you really don’t need to be accurate. It’s just a book. That is not based on real life. It’s all art. There’s definitely going to be some English Lit fans that are not going to be happy.

"Wait until you see the set design, because that is even more shocking. And there may or may not be a dog collar in it,” they warned. It didn’t take long before literary fans flooded to social media to share their disappointment about the upcoming film.

One loyal bookworm fumed: “It really feels like she’s going to alienate the entire built in audience of Wuthering Heights. Nobody asked for this.” Another fumed: “It’s rage bait and is having a ‘mixed audience response’ and will therefore get a lot of streams and ticket sales.”

A third loyal fan argued: “Wuthering Heights is my favourite book of all time and I’d be the first person to tell you this should be un-filmable. From these early reactions, it sounds like she’s [Emerald Fennell] trying too hard to be shocking and edgy.”

Wuthering Heights is set to hit theatres in February 2026.