Wuthering Heights (2026) is a film that goes back to the original 1847 Emily Brontë novel through a fresh adaptation, both written and directed by Emerald Fennell. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi play the lead roles as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, in Wuthering Heights.
The film had its first showing at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 28, 2026, and was later made available in theaters on February 13 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It sticks close to the emotional essence of Brontë’s novel, but at the same time makes definite structural choices regarding the point of ending the story.
In addition to Robbie and Elordi, Wuthering Heights is also supported by the strong performances of Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell in the roles of Nelly Dean, Edgar Linton, Isabella Linton, Mr. Earnshaw, and Joseph, respectively.
In the end, Heathcliff arrives too late to save Cathy, cradles her body in grief, begs her to haunt him, and is left alive but emotionally devastated as the film ends.
What happens in Wuthering Heights?
In 1771, the story of Wuthering Heights unfolds when Mr. Earnshaw takes home a little orphan boy to his house in the Yorkshire Moors. The boy, who eventually gets called Heathcliff, gets so attached in a way that is almost like love with Mr. Earnshaw’s daughter, Catherine, or Cathy, for short. At first, they were just playing together like children, but later it turned into a crazy and very possessive love.
After the event of punishing Heathcliff that results in scarring him, the house falls into bad hands as Mr. Earnshaw becomes an alcoholic and is financially troubled. Cathy wants to marry Edgar Linton, who is their rich neighbour, because she thinks that this way she will be able to elevate her social status and also get out of the house.
Although she assumes that through marrying Edgar, she will not only better her own life but possibly raise Heathcliff’s status too, still, her choice hurts him deeply.
Heathcliff finds out that Cathy is going to marry Edgar, a marriage that, according to her, is going to mean a drop in her social status, but he leaves before he can hear that she was actually saying that their souls are one.
At a loss, he leaves Wuthering Heights. Afterwards, Cathy weds Edgar and relocates to Thrushcross Grange, enjoying a life of luxury but experiencing an emotional void.
Eventually, the grown-up Heathcliff returns on the scene, showing off his wealth and complete transformation. His visit stirs up Cathy’s marriage. He buys Wuthering Heights and starts a secret relationship with Cathy, fueled by anger and old passion. When Cathy admits that Edgar’s baby is inside her, to get back at them, Heathcliff weds Isabella Linton.
Isabella’s involvement with Heathcliff is shown to be abusive and humiliating, as the movie highlights his fall into bitterness.
When Cathy’s feelings get the best of her, she pushes everyone away and stops eating. After a miscarriage, she gets infected, and her sickness worsens day by day. Heathcliff is finally told about her state, but things happen too fast for his and Cathy’s reunion.
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What happens to Cathy and Heathcliff at the end?
The final scene of Wuthering Heights centers on Cathy’s death and Heathcliff’s struggle to forget her. Cathy’s miscarriage went untreated, leading to septicemia, and although attempts were made to inform Heathcliff of her condition, it was too late when he came. By the time he arrived, she had expired.
In the final seconds of the movie, Heathcliff is seen holding the dead body of Cathy. He implores her not to leave him in peace and to haunt him instead of totally abandoning him. This request highlights their relationship’s dangerously intense nature.
The movie then briefly revisits a childhood flashback where Cathy is seen comforting Heathcliff after he was punished, emphasizing their bond as one forged in trauma and dependence.
Whereas the source novel carries on with a generational saga featuring Cathy’s daughter and Heathcliff’s enduring hate, the Wuthering Heights film stops at Cathy’s death. It neither shows the fate of Heathcliff nor any ghostly reunion. On the contrary, it portrays him as deeply grieving, emotionally broken, and isolated.
By concluding here, the movie keeps its theme narrowly centered on the main love story without stretching into the wider ramifications present in Brontë’s work. Heathcliff survives but is engulfed by sorrow, and his conflicting feelings between revenge and reconciliation go unresolved. The last picture makes it clear that, to Heathcliff, the demise of Cathy is not a comforting end but the starting point of an existence dominated by grief.
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The movie was released in theatres on February 13, 2026.
Edited by Sakshi Singh
