Wuthering Heights film makes 5 major changes to story and sparks outrage from fans

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Wuthering Heights

If you've been keeping up with pop culture as of late, you'll know that the latest film adaptation of Wuthering Heights hit theaters on February 13, just in time for Valentine's Day.

The movie adaptation of the Emily Brontë classic book stars Margot Robbie (Barbie, The Wolf of Wall Street and Suicide Squad) and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, Frankenstein and Saltburn) as the lead characters of Catherine and Heathcliff.

It's safe to say that there's been a lot of hype about the R-rated movie hitting cinemas across the globe, given its racy nature, but not everybody is a fan of Emerald Fennell's on-screen adaptation.

One of the biggest criticisms is the casting of Elordi. While an undeniably brilliant actor, the original Heathcliff is believed to have looked quite different in the original book compared to the 6-foot-5 actor.

Here are some of the biggest differences between the new Wuthering Heights film and the original book...

Heathcliff's race

Many people have questioned whether Heathcliff was Black in the original 1847 book and suggested that the character has been 'whitewashed' in the 2026 movie adaptation (as well as previous ones).

In the book, Brontë describes the lead character as a 'dark-skinned gipsy' – but it's unclear if Heathcliff was actually Black.

Susan Newby, learning officer at the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth, UK, told The New York Times: "There is a sense that [Heathcliff] is not white Anglo-Saxon, he’s something else, but you don’t know what that is."

Since it's suggested that Heathcliff was not white, people have raised questions about Elordi (a white man from Australia) being cast.

Mr. Earnshaw's nature

In the book, Mr. Earnshaw (who saves Heathcliff from Liverpool as a young, abandoned orphan) is much kinder to Heathcliff and seemingly loves him more than his own son Hindley, who is not in the new movie.

However, in Fennell's adaptation, Mr. Earnshaw is abusive towards Heathcliff and it's suggested that his cruelty towards both him and Catherine (his daughter) sparks the pair's sado-masochist dynamic, says Vanity Fair.

Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as Heathcliff and Catherine (Warner Bros.)

Heathcliff and Catherine's ages

Elordi, 28, and Robbie, 35, are both much older than the characters than in Brontë's book.

In the book, when Catherine's father first brings Heathcliff back with him, she's just six years old.

She's then 17 years old when she weds Edgar.

Heathcliff's history is a bit murkier, but he's believed to have been in his teens still when he leaves the Heights and returns some years later.

Isabella's character

After Catherine weds Edgar, Heathcliff marries Isabella. In the book, Isabella is Edgar's sister but in the movie she's simply his ward (we've all seen Bridgerton, right?).

Away from that difference, in the movie Isabella simply submits to Heathcliff's sado-masochism and at one point barks like a dog for him.

In the book, however, Isabella flees with their son Linton to live in London when she realizes how awful Heathcliff is.

Alison Oliver plays Isabella in the new adaptation (Warner Bros.)

When the movie ends

Big spoiler here – for those of you who haven't read the book, you'll be unaware that Catherine dies after giving birth. This occurs halfway through the novel, but Fennell decided to end the movie with that devastating moment.

With this in mind, some viewers have questioned if there's going to be a part two.

While there's currently nothing in the works, Fennell has addressed the idea of there being a sequel. She said to ScreenRant: "Oh my God. Can you imagine Wuthering Heights 2? More Heights, more Wuthering."

We mean, that isn't a no...