‘Saltburn’ Director Emerald Fennell Targets ‘Wuthering Heights’ Adaptation

The Oscar-winning “Promising Young Woman” screenwriter will next tackle the Emily Brontë novel

Emerald Fennell
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“Saltburn” filmmaker Emerald Fennell has set her sights on an adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” the director announced on social media Friday.

The Oscar-winning “Promising Young Woman” screenwriter will next tackle the Emily Brontë novel, which was initially published in 1847 under her pen name “Ellis Bell.”

“Be with me always — Take any form — Drive me mad,” Fennell wrote on X, echoing a line from the novel.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest novels ever written in English, “Wuthering Heights” is a gothic story that centers on anti-hero Heathcliff as he pursues revenge against the people who kept him away from his love, Cathy Earnshaw. 

Additionally, “Wuthering Heights” has has undergone numerous adaptations for both the big and small screens over the years.

Notable film versions include the 1939 production directed by William Wyler, featuring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon; the 1970 adaptation directed by Robert Fuest, starring Timothy Dalton and Anna Calder-Marshall; and Peter Kosminsky’s 1992 adaptation with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in the lead roles.

The tale has also been adapted in made-for-TV movies, such as the 2009 version starring Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley, and a 2011 adaptation featuring James Howson and Kaya Scodelario.

Fennell’s most recent film was psychological thriller “Saltburn” for Amazon MGM Studios, which starred Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi. She is repped by UTA, United Agents in Britain, Entertainment 360 and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

No details about who is producing and distributing the newest “Wuthering Heights” adaptation are currently known.

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