Emily Brontë’s 1847 gothic classic comes to the screen once more, this time from Promising Young Woman and Saltburn director Emerald Fennell.
When is Wuthering Heights being released in New Zealand?
Wuthering Heights is being released in New Zealand cinemas on February 12, 2026.
What is Wuthering Heights about?
Well, there’s these moors, see…
C’mon, you know this one. Set more or less on the titular estate in West Yorkshire, Wuthering Heights traces the fraught, passionate relationship between Catherine, daughter to the wealthy Earnshaw family, and the foundling Heathcliff, taken in by her father but treated like a slave by her brother—and eventual master of Wuthering Heights—Hindley.
Where you go from that set up depends on your take on the novel, and what elements you choose to highlight. Personally, I’m fond of Andrea Arnold’s grimy 2011 version, which ups the obsession arguably at the cost of the romance. But even Arnold didn’t like that one, so you may want to seek a second opinion.
Of course, the big draw here is the fact that Heathcliff and Catherine are played by Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. Expect lots of longing glances, sensuous visual metaphors, and so much brooding on the moors.
The cast of Wuthering Heights
Margot Robbie is Catherine Earnshaw, with Charlotte Mellington as the young Catherine; Jacob Elordi is Heathcliff, with Owen Cooper as the young Heathcliff; Hong Chau is Nelly Dean, with Vy Nguyen as the young Nelly; Shazad Latif is Edgar Linton; Alison Oliver is Isabella Linton; with Martin Clunes and Ewan Mitchell rounding out the ensemble.
Wuthering Heights trailer
Why we’re excited about Wuthering Heights
We tend to get a new Wuthering Heights every generation, so the timing is about right, and it’s hard to argue with the casting. There was a time when this would be money in the bank, but whether younger audiences will show up for a literary adaptation, even one starring two of the hottest—in every sense—actors on the planet is anyone’s guess.
