The first trailer has landed for Emerald Fennell’s highly charged adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights — and it’s already generating headlines for its bold, sensual spin on the classic Yorkshire-set tale.
The film pairs two of Hollywood’s biggest names, with Margot Robbie starring as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. Breakout Netflix star Owen Cooper (Adolescence) also features as the young Heathcliff.
While Brontë’s 1847 novel is rooted in the bleak passion of the Yorkshire moors, this new version leans into something closer to Bridgerton than Downton Abbey. The trailer cuts between sweeping shots of the Dales and a series of highly stylised, provocative images — from hay bales and bodices to intimate close-ups — underscoring Fennell’s trademark blend of period drama and salacious detail.
Filming wrapped earlier this year across the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with locations including Arkengarthdale, Swaledale, and the village of Low Row. Robbie and cast members were spotted at Simonstone Hall near Hawes, where they stayed during the shoot. Locals also glimpsed Robbie in full costume in a white wedding dress while filming a key scene thought to depict Cathy’s marriage to Edgar Linton.
The production adds to Yorkshire’s growing reputation as a hub for major international film and TV projects, following recent shoots for All Creatures Great and Small, Gentleman Jack and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning. Industry bodies have been keen to highlight the economic benefits such high-profile projects bring to the region, from local employment to tourism boosts once the film is released.
Fennell, who won an Oscar for Promising Young Woman and later reunited with Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment on Saltburn, once again takes the reins here as writer, director and producer. Warner Bros secured global distribution rights following a bidding war, with the film financed by MRC.
The casting of Elordi has stirred debate, given Brontë’s original description of Heathcliff as “dark-skinned” and the novel’s nuanced exploration of class, race and belonging. But Elordi has defended the project, telling Deadline earlier this year: “The performances from everyone — it’s breathtaking. It’s an incredible romance. It’s a true epic. It’s visually beautiful. The script is beautiful. The costumes are incredible.”
Set against the backdrop of the very moors that inspired Brontë’s writing nearly two centuries ago, Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is set for release on 13 February 2026 — just in time for Valentine’s audiences.
