- - 'Wuthering Heights' movie makes these big changes from the book – Readers beware

Clare Mulroy, USA TODAYFebruary 13, 2026 at 9:03 AM

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Spoiler alert! We're discussing major plot details about the new "Wuthering Heights" movie. Stop reading now if you want to go in cold.

Get ready for the wrath of the readers.

Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights,” while steamy and visually alluring, makes major changes from Emily Brontë’s classic novel. It’s likely to ruffle feathers, especially for those who sprinted to read the book before they saw the movie, out in theaters now.

Brontë’s story is about revenge, obsessive love and social class. But Fennell’s adaptation, with eye-catching costumes that give “Alice in Wonderland” absurdity more than period piece, promotes Cathy and Heathcliff as “the greatest love story of all time.” For fans of the book, the movie may feel like Fennell found out about the plot of “Wuthering Heights” from a game of telephone.

Here are the biggest changes from book to movie:

‘Wuthering Heights’ movie focuses only on the beginning of Emily Brontë’s book

Childhood friends Cathy (Margot Robbie) and Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) begin a lustful love affair after she gets married and he returns after many years away in "Wuthering Heights."

Like the book, Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights” begins when Heathcliff and Cathy are children playing in the moors. But the movie ends when Cathy dies, distraught and brokenhearted over Heathcliff and having starved herself during her pregnancy.

In the book, Cathy dies in Chapter 16 out of 34. Almost half of the book occurs after she dies, exploring Heathcliff’s vengeful mission to take ownership of the two properties (Thrushcross Grange and Wuthering Heights). And as Cathy’s ghost haunts Heathcliff, the story continues with the second generation: Cathy’s daughter (also named Catherine) and Heathcliff’s son (Linton). It’s dizzying enough to need a family tree, and everybody is getting with everybody’s cousin.

In the book, Cathy and Heathcliff's story is told through Nelly, the housekeeper who regales a new tenant, Mr. Lockwood, with stories of his mysterious landlord (Heathcliff).

The movie also ages up the characters, with Margot Robbie, 35, playing Cathy and Jacob Elordi, 28, as Heathcliff. In the book, Cathy is a teenager at the time of her death.

In an interview with USA TODAY, Robbie defended Fennell’s casting decision: "Cathy's in her mid-20s to early 30s, which puts so much more pressure on the marriage situation," Robbie says. "A bunch of people telling an 18-year-old, 'Oh, f---, you better hurry up and get married!' That doesn't really hold the same weight to a modern-day audience member."

The ‘whitewashing’ of Heathcliff

Heathcliff (Jacob Elordi) tries to make Cathy jealous in the doomed romance "Wuthering Heights."

Elordi’s casting is another big change from the book. From the time the casting announcement dropped, fans quickly pointed out that Elordi, who is white, is playing a character pointedly described as “dark-skinned.” He’s also referred to as a “Lascar,” a term historically used for Indian and Southeast Asian sailors. When Nelly comforts him, she theorizes he could be the son of an “Emperor of China” and “an Indian queen.”

It’s important context for why Cathy felt she could not be with Heathcliff. Though she describes him as her other half, she also says it would “degrade” her to marry him, and that being with Linton instead would help her move up the social ladder.

'Wuthering Heights' movie changes or removes these key characters from the book

The movie axed a character who plays a crucial role in the book – Hindley Earnshaw, Cathy’s brother. When Mr. Earnshaw comes home with Heathcliff, he immediately begins treating him as more of a son than his own. This sets up a rivalry between Hindley and Heathcliff that will persist until Hindley's death.

The movie has no brother character at all, instead offering Heathcliff as a companion to a lonely Cathy. But rather than Mr. Earnshaw loving Heathcliff and becoming a father to him, Fennell’s Earnshaw is cruel and abusive to both children, especially Heathcliff. In the movie, it’s Earnshaw and not Hindley who descends into gambling and drunken madness. It also gives movie Cathy a healthy helping of daddy issues.

More book-to-screen adaptations: ‘Project Hail Mary' and more coming in 2026

Fennell’s version also specifies that Isabella Linton is a “ward” of Edgar Linton, not his sister. The term is also recently seen in Season 4 of “Bridgerton” and refers to a child or dependent who is placed in the care of a noble family and given the requisite wealth and education.

Cathy and Heathcliff have a full-blown love affair

“Wuthering Heights” may have lots of yearning, but there’s nothing particularly steamy about the book. There isn’t even much romance, save one passionate embrace and kiss as Cathy is nearing her end.

Jacob Elordi, left, and Margot Robbie in "Wuthering Heights."

But the movie is teeming with sensual and erotic moments, from the opening scene of a horned-up crowd at a hanging to Heathcliff lifting Cathy with just one arm. In the movie, Cathy discovers her sexuality while watching two household staff members engage in BDSM with horse bridles. What differs most from the book is that Cathy and Heathcliff have a full-blown affair, hooking up in carriages and on the moors, hiding from her husband.

More: A parent's guide to 'Wuthering Heights': Is it appropriate for teens?

Heathcliff even threatens to murder Linton if it means he can be with Cathy forever. In the book, Heathcliff and Cathy’s passion is more missed opportunity and frustration than explicit passion.

The ending and Cathy’s pregnancy

Don’t expect to see Heathcliff’s vengeful warpath or the future generations mingling and marrying – Fennell's “Wuthering Heights” ends when Cathy dies after a miscarriage. In the book, she gives birth to her and Edgar’s daughter just before she dies.

In both versions, however, her demise is self-induced. Refusing to leave her bed or eat, she regrets her decision to cast aside Heathcliff so much that it'll cost her her life.

Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Wuthering Heights' movie makes these major changes to the book

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