It’s almost a guarantee that book-to-screen adaptations will differ from their inspiration. Now that Emerald Fennell‘s version of Wuthering Heights has reached theaters, fans of author Emily Brontë‘s 1847 novel are noticing quite a few changes. The film stars Hollywood heartthrobs Margot Robbie as Cathy and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff. And in case you’re unaware of their story, it’s not the perfect fairytale.
So, how exactly do the book and the movie compare to each other? Here, News47.us has a breakdown of the differences you can expect on the big screen versus the original text. (Warning: spoilers ahead for the Wuthering Heights movie)
Warner Bros. has released the movie in theaters as of February 13, 2026, so fans can watch it on the big screen. A streaming date has not been announced yet, but it’s likely that it will be released on HBO Max in a few months.
The most noticeable differences about the movie are the absence of Cathy’s older brother, Hindley; Cathy’s father is actually a cruel tyrant; the absence of Mr. Lockwood; and, of course, the multiple sex scenes. The book only highlights Catherine and Heathcliff’s tortured, suppressed feelings for each other, while the film shows several intimate scenes. Not only that, but the movie also ends with Cathy’s death, while the book explores Cathy and Edgar’s daughter’s story.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly ahead of the film’s release, the actress and filmmaker defended the choices she and the crew made for the movie.
“When you look at not just other movie adaptations of this, but Kate Bush’s song, or Balthus’ lithographs, or a lot of the kind of contemporary illustrations, most of them tend to focus on Cathy and Heathcliff,” she explained. “Because I think that’s really the moment that draws to an end in the book. … And I think, really, I would do a mini series and encompass the whole thing over 10 hours, and it would be beautiful. But if you’re making a movie, and you’ve got to be fairly tight, you’ve got to make those kinds of hard decisions.”
About the characters she’d “sort of forgotten or consolidated” into one, Emerald noted that there was “a certain amount of wish fulfillment in there.” She further pointed out how the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet comes into play.
