The many scandals of the Wuthering Heights reboot: Emerald Fennell 'rage-baited' fans by modifying the gothic classic for the TikTok generation - but now she's having the last laugh

She's known for her bold directing style and for creating memorable movie moments.

Yet Emerald Fennell's latest film is undoubtedly her most controversial yet, with the director coming under fire for Wuthering Heights. 

The upcoming epic, stylised as 'Wuthering Heights' in quotation marks, is loosely inspired by Emily Brontë's 1847 novel but has been lambasted for its casting, costumes and tone among others. 

Fennell's version of the gothic classic is based on how she interpreted the novel as a teenager, with the Saltburn creator arguing that it would be impossible to directly adapt a book as 'dense and complicated' as the original. 

Yet that hasn't stopped a public outcry at the film, with Fennell accused of 'rage-baiting' by making so many changes to the beloved tale - which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as Cathy and Heathcliffe. 

Such is the backlash that some even vowed to boycott the movie. 

However, it's the ongoing discourse that has also set Wuthering Heights on track to become a box office hit, with the trailer alone attracting more than 23 million views on YouTube.  

While the film doesn't open until February 13, pre-sales are already strong, hinting at a $30M-$35M domestic opening weekend. 

This would make Wuthering Heights the biggest box office opener of Elordi’s career, and Robbie's first hit since 2023's Barbie.

Notably Barbie, in which Robbie played the titular role and Fennell had a small part in as Midge, had a $150 million budget for marketing alone.  

The marketing juggernaut spanned everything from a real life Malibu Barbie DreamHouse Airbnb, so obnoxiously pink it could be seen 10 miles away, to a HGTV (owned by Warner Bros.) airing a full four part Barbie DreamHouse Challenge special - with more than 100 clothing, lifestyle brands cashing in.

In comparison, the Wuthering Heights marketing campaign pales. 

Yet that didn't stop the film trending on social media when the trailer was released. 

Upon its release there was a flurry of outrage about almost every aspect of the film so far - from explicitly kinky imagery to the soundtrack by electro-popstar Charli XCX.

Elordi's casting as Heathcliff caused the greatest stir, as Brontë's original description suggested dark hair, dark eyes and possibly Roma or Gypsy heritage.

Another issue raised was the apparent casting of people of colour as weak-willed or seemingly cruel characters - most notably British-Pakistani Shazad Latif as Edgar Linton, Heathcliff's main opposer. 

Yet these scandals have only helped the film's cause, as Celebrity PR Specialist Kayley Cornelius explained to Daily Mai. 

Speaking on behalf of OLBG, Kayley shared: 'What Emerald Fennell has done with Wuthering Heights is a near-perfect example of how modern film marketing now works, because she has deliberately sparked a level of controversy that has encouraged the public to do the promotional heavy lifting for her. 

'In today’s landscape, traditional billboard and out-of-home advertising simply do not hold the same influence they once did and can often become one of the most expensive and least effective parts of a marketing budget. 

'By contrast, social advertising and online visibility are now the most cost-effective ways to promote anything, particularly when that visibility is being driven organically through user-generated content. 

'Creating something controversial is far more likely to spread a message further and wider than any billboard ever could, and that is exactly what is happening here. 

'The backlash around the trailer and casting has dominated social media feeds, opinion columns and group chats, keeping the film front of mind without the studio having to spend heavily on traditional promotion.

'From a PR perspective, this kind of conversation is the marketing team’s dream, particularly at a time when most cinema tickets are booked online, meaning heightened awareness and debate can translate into a higher conversion rate among audiences actively searching for tickets. 

'The volume of free user-generated content alone will have saved the team millions, and it would not be surprising if the total marketing spend for Wuthering Heights sits somewhere around the $20 to $30 million mark, which is effectively pennies when compared to the millions that Barbie spent on marketing.'

Indeed, Fennell did not have the blockbuster budget that one would expect for a film that has generated such buzz. 

She reportedly turned down a $150million bid from Netflix and ended up with a $80million budget from Warner Bros. after they ensured her they would prioritise a theatrical release. 

Amid the backlash, Fennell hit back at the criticism of her new project, defending the differences between her adaptation and the original works. 

Speaking to Fandango, Fennell said: 'I think it's a lot of things but I think primarily it's because the book means so much to me and it means so so much to so many people, and I've been doing a lot of talking to the Brontë Parsonage Museum and to other people who love this book too because it means a lot to me.

'It's every important that everyone who loves it as much as I do feels almost a part of it, I guess.'

She continued: 'But the thing for me is you can't adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book. I can't say I'm making Wuthering Heights. It's not possible.

'What I can say is I'm making a version of it. There's a version I remembered reading, which isn't quite real. And there's a version that I wanted to stuff to happen that never happened.

'And so it is Wuthering Heights and it isn't. But really I'd say any adaptation of a novel, and especially a novel like this, should have, you know, quotation marks around it.'

Costume designer Jacqueline Durran also hit back at fans after they criticised Robbie's 'hideous' outfits in the trailer.

She told Vogue: 'That idea of shiny surfaces is key to Cathy's character and costumes.

'It's something that takes you out of the period, but it was exciting to mix the shape of a Victorian dress with a fabric that was completely modern.'

The costume designer added that 'the dates are all confused,' admitting the team wasn't aiming for historical accuracy.

She explained they simply chose 'clothes we like for each character'.

Wuthering Heights is set for release on February 13