The bidding war forWuthering Heightshas ended in an unusual way. The upcoming movie, which is an adaptation of the 1847 novel of the same name by Emily Brontë, is set to starEuphoria’s Jacob Elordi andBarbie’s Margot Robbie. It will be written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who previously helmed 2020’sPromising Young Womanand 2023’sSaltburn, the latter of which also starred Elordi. Fennell is also producing theWuthering Heightsadaptationwith independent studio MRC and Robbie’s production company LuckyChap.
PerDeadline,Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group. has won the bidding war forWuthering Heights. The company reportedly paid about half of the $150 million offer that Netflix had previously put out for the project. However, both Fennell and Robbie pushed back against the streaming platform’s release strategy, holding out for a proper theatrical release with a substantial publicity budget. Below, read statements on the movie finding a home from Fennell, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, and MRC’s Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman:
Emerald Fennell:I’m so excited to be working with the amazing team at Warner Bros, and to once again be partnering with the brilliant MRC and LuckyChap.Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy:We are thrilled to partner with MRC, Emerald Fennell, and LuckyChap for this feature film adaptation of Wuthering Heights. From the moment we were introduced to Emerald’s vision for the film, and with an incredible cast led by Margot and Jacob, we were instantly committed to forging a partnership with this team to ensure the movie was brought to theaters around the world.Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman:From our first conversations with Emerald about Wuthering Heights, we were inspired by her vision to make something that channels the longing and heartache of the novel while adding her distinctive sensibility and beautiful aesthetic. We are thrilled to partner with Warner Brothers and our friends at LuckyChap to help bring Emerald’s film to audiences around the world.
What This Means For Wuthering Heights
It’s The Next Step For Emerald Fennell
It seems that theWuthering Heightsteam fighting for theatrical distribution has reached a mutually satisfying conclusion for both the creators and Warner Bros. Their commitment to bringing it to the big screen in spite of Netflix’s much more substantial financial offer indicates thatthe team is very aware that the project has the potential to be a major box office success. The upcomingMargot Robbie moviecould also be the next step in bringing Emerald Fennell to greater prominence.
Fennell has worked with Robbie multiple times before, as bothPromising Young WomanandSaltburnwere made with LuckyChap and she had a small role as Midge in 2023’sBarbie.
While Fennell’s first two movies have been well-received critically, they have not had major theatrical success.Promising Young Woman, which won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, only earned $18.9 million against its $10 million budget, whileSaltburngrossed just slightly more with $21.1 million, though it became a major streaming smash when it hit Prime Video. With theWuthering Heightscastbeing led by theBarbiesuperstar and receiving a stronger publicity push,it has the potential to continue this upward trend.
Our Take On The Wuthering Heights Theatrical Release
It Could Become A Major Hit
Precedent also shows that theWuthering Heightsadaptation could become a solid hit, depending on its budget level.Adaptations of well-known classic romance novels have found both critical and commercial successin the past, including 2005’sPride and Prejudice, which grossed $121.6 million against its $28 million budget,Sense and Sensibility, which made $135 million against a $16 million budget, andGone with the Wind, which remains the highest-grossing movie of all time when adjusted for inflation. It is entirely possible that the Fennell project could follow in these movies' footsteps.
