The Internet was barely losing its breath to talk (badly) about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs when the first images of Margot Robbie as Cathy Earnshaw from Wuthering Heights shook up social media as well.

Wearing a bridal style that many defined as “dramatic” because it had bare shoulders and a long flowing veil, Margot was certainly already filming the sequence in which Cathy – having broken up with Heathcliff – marries (for love and interest) Edgar Linton. A sequence in which we do not see Jacob Elordi, who will be her tortured lover.

The 34-year-old actress, who became a mother for the first time a few weeks ago, has been criticized for being much older than her character in the book (in her early 20s), but she looked stunning filming the footage of Cathy strolling through the misty moors near Wuthering Heights. The other complaint is that Margot, who is blonde, is a far cry from the dark-haired Cathy described in the book.

Despite being adored by critics, having won an Oscar for her screenwriting and being well-received with Saltburn, director Emerald Fennell‘s casting has been criticized for ignoring the fact that Heathcliff is described as a dark-skinned gypsy, a clear allusion to his being black. Altering a story of rare inclusion to cast an actor too young for the role (Heathcliff is over 40 in the second part of the story and Jacob is not yet 30) turns everything upside down.

Until Margot’s appearance, no external footage had been recorded for the film, which is scheduled to hit theaters in February 2026. Most of the filming is taking place at Sky Studios Elstree, but there should be footage in Yorkshire, where the novel was originally set. The other news of the week is that actor Owen Cooper from the acclaimed Adolescence will play Heathcliff as a child.

Of all the adaptations of the classic, the only one to “respect” the ages and appearances of the characters was the 2011 adaptation, starring Kaya Scodelario and James Howson. The most famous, from 1939, was directed by William Wyler and starred Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier.

Amid criticism and expectations, the new adaptation is already one of the most controversial and anticipated projects of the moment. The big challenge for Fennell will be to balance the expectations of fans and the creative liberties of the adaptation, while still preserving the emotional intensity and complex dilemmas of the story. It remains to be seen how this new version of Emily Brontë‘s classic work will be received by the public and critics, and whether it will be able to earn its place alongside the great film adaptations of the novel.

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