“Sign Me Up”: Controversial ‘Wuthering Heights’ Adaptation Stuns Viewers With Severe Adult Scene
Fans are calling for casting directorKharmel Cochrane to be âshotâ after a test viewing of the latest adaptation of the 1847 classic Wuthering Heights.
The menacing behavior is part of a general pattern of dissent surrounding English producer Emerald Fennellâs foray into old literature after her 2023 dark comedy, Saltburnâwhich is known for its adult themes.
- Preview viewers call the film âprovocativeâ and âdeliberately unromantic.â
- Casting director Kharmel Cochrane baulks at threats from upset fans.
- Emerald Fennellâs adaptation features explicit scenes and shock-value set pieces.
According to those who saw its preview in Dallas on August 4, Fennellâs proclivity for X-rated content has spilled over into the new production.
People who have seen the sneak preview have slammed the film for being âtonally abrasiveâ
Image credits: Plex
World of Reela platform covering the film industry, reported that the audience displayed a âvisible restlessnessâ during the viewing.
It quoted a critic describing it (the film) as âaggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,â claiming that it leans âhard into Fennellâs now-familiar brand of stylized depravity.â
âItâs a deliberately unromantic take on (Emily) BrontĂ«âs novel,â the critic complained, âof emotional nuance and full of salacious detours that serve shock value.
Image credits: Samir Hussein/Getty
â[It is] far more explicit than any previous adaptation of this material,â they said of the film that allegedly starts âwith a public hanging,â and âquickly descends into grotesque absurdity.â
Fans threatened the producer for casting Margot Robbie in the film
Image credits: Brendon Thorne/Getty
The productionâs casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, commented on the controversy at the Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews in April this year.
She told the United Kingdomâs Metro news outlet that she had received a volley of harassment for casting Robbie and Elordi.
âI have really had to hold back on Instagram after a glass of wine, because I think someone was like, âThe casting director should be shotâ,â she told the publication.
Kharmel Cochrane suggested that fans wait until they watched the movie, and then could say âwhatever they wantedâ
Margot Robbie on set of Wuthering Heights (dir. Emerald Fennell) which will come out in February 2026.
Follow @âŠ
Posted by The Church of Cinema onSunday, March 23, 2025
Cochrane explained that the dissent did not surprise her: âThereâs definitely going to be some English [literature] fans that are not going to be happy.â
She suggested that the bookâs fans were likely to be even more disgruntled when they actually saw the film.
âWait until you see the set design, because itâs even more shocking,â she claimed. âAnd there may or may not be a dog collar in it,â she teased.
Image credits: Prime Video
âYou can read anything into a book and make it your interpretation.
âAnd itâs really easy to sit online and say things, but just wait until youâve watched it, and then you can say â maybe not that I deserve to be shot â but you can say what you want!ââ Cochrane suggested.
Fundis in the industry are suggesting that this is just the reaction that Fennell was aiming for
Image credits: Oscilloscope Pictures
The World of Reel critique observes that the screenplay steps away from the original plot in a manner that is typical of Fennell.
It further observed that the film sounded like the âmost unusual Wuthering Heights to date,â which âmight not be a bad thing.â
âThe last thing anyone wants is another by-the-numbers adaptation.
âWhat the next film version called for was a jolt of fresh energy, something bold and unexpected.
Emerald Fennellâs upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights, set for release on February 14, 2026, marks a bold andâŠ
Posted by Sunlit Chapters of History onFriday, August 8, 2025
âFor better or worse, it seems thatâs exactly what Emerald Fennell may have brought to the table.â
Criticism swirling around the preview has heightened some fansâ anticipation
The news has drawn a mixed reaction from the general public, wetting some movie enthusiastsâ appetites, while drawing scorn from others.
Image credits: Once Upon a Book Club
âOoohh now then âŠyou got me interest[ed] in watch[ing] this one,â wrote a fan in response to a Facebook update.
âThatâs what happens when Emerald Fennell is involved,â observed another.
Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
A focal point for netizens was the adaptationâs adult themes, and one person, opting for the middle ground, wrote: âSo showing the depths of human depravity hasnât changed much in a few hundred years.â
Some people see a flop coming
Thanks! Check out the results:
Total votes ·
