If you thought the bathtub scene in Saltburn was the final word on Jacob Elordi’s ability to commit to a role that is both devastatingly sexy and wildly uncomfortable… think again.
Elordi is back with Saltburn’s Oscar-winning director Emerald Fennell, and this time they’re turning their attention — and their particular brand of cinematic chaos — to Wuthering Heights. Yes, Emily Brontë’s beloved gothic romance is getting the Fennell-Elordi treatment, and early reactions suggest it’s about as far from your high school reading list as you can get.
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This time, Elordi steps into the brooding, tortured boots of Heathcliff, while none other than Margot Robbie plays Catherine Earnshaw. If your brain just short-circuited at the thought of these two together, you’re not alone. The casting alone feels like a cultural reset. But according to early screening reactions, this isn’t the windswept romance you might remember from the book — it’s something far more provocative.
@entertainmenttonight Jacob Elordi is in his gothic literature era with Emerald Fennell’s upcoming ‘Wuthering Heights’ adaptation 😌 His new film, ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North,’ streams April 18 on Prime Video #jacobelordi #wutheringheights #heathcliff #emeraldfennell
♬ original sound – Entertainment Tonight – Entertainment Tonight
If Saltburn was sexy, seductive, and toe-curlingly uncomfortable, Fennell’s Wuthering Heights sounds like it’s here to take that formula, crank it to eleven, and then throw in a few more shock-value detours. Word from the first test screening is that the film is “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” leaning hard into Fennell’s signature “stylized depravity,” according to World of Reel. Translation: If you came for sweeping romance, you might want to buckle up.
According to World of Reel, the adaptation is unapologetically “hypersexualized” — a choice that’s already dividing audiences. Some are restless. Others? Completely delighted. And given the specifics being reported, it’s easy to see why. The film reportedly includes a public ejaculation mid-execution (you read that right) and a nun… well, let’s just say she’s having a very hands-on moment with a corpse.
And in case that’s not enough to get tongues wagging, there are multiple masturbation scenes described as “intimate, clinical, and purposefully discomforting.” Fennell has never been shy about playing with the line between titillation and discomfort — and here, she seems to be dancing on it in heels.
For Elordi, this is yet another role that proves he’s not afraid to throw himself into challenging, even polarizing, material. Heathcliff has always been intense — obsessive, vengeful, passionate — but in this telling, that intensity seems to be funneled straight into a sexual energy that’s equal parts magnetic and disturbing. Margot Robbie, meanwhile, is getting praise for matching Elordi’s performance beat for beat, which is no small feat considering the subject matter.
@gointhirteen
Fans who loved the sultry, charged dynamic between Elordi and Barry Keoghan in Saltburn will no doubt be curious to see what he brings opposite Robbie. And given the fact that audiences have already labeled the film “more explicit than any previous adaptation,” we’re likely looking at a version of Wuthering Heights that’s less windswept moors and more… well, moaning.
Of course, not everyone is going to be on board. This isn’t your grandma’s period drama. But maybe that’s the point. In the hands of Fennell and Elordi, Wuthering Heights is less about delicate longing and more about raw, unflinching desire — and the ways it can destroy us. Whether you find that thrilling or infuriating might depend on your tolerance for art that stares you straight in the face and refuses to blink.
jacob elordi looks hot here waittt 🫦 pic.twitter.com/8Gy9JASfta
— aileen ❦ (@elordisdua) November 30, 2024
One thing’s for certain: love it or hate it, people will be talking. And if history has taught us anything about Jacob Elordi’s career choices, it’s that he has a knack for picking projects that spark conversation. After all, not everyone can go from a high school rom-com trilogy to one of the most buzzed-about sex-and-power thrillers of the decade — and now, to the horniest Heathcliff you’ve ever seen.
“Believe me, being naked around Jacob Elordi is intimidating! He’s like a fucking god! He’s too perfect! It’s hard not to do a hot scene with Jacob shirtless!” — Diego Calva pic.twitter.com/GjeE8689rg
— Diego Calva News (@DiegoCNews) April 23, 2025
So whether you’re here for the drama, the decadence, or just the pure joy of watching Elordi and Robbie smolder their way through a literary classic, this Wuthering Heights promises to be unforgettable. And if the early reactions are any indication, you might want to bring a fan… or maybe a cold shower.
REFERENCE: World of Reel