Emerald Fennell said adapting Wuthering Heights was an impossible task as she explained why she changed the title of her movie.
The upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is named “Wuthering Heights”, with the quotation marks.
Now Emerald has admitted why she chose to include the quotation marks in the title.
She said you simply can’t adapt a book as ‘dense, complicated and difficult’ as Wuthering Heights, so you create a version of it rather than a replica.
Emerald said she consulted the Brontë Parsonage Museum and others who love the book as much as she does before deciding on the title, adding: ‘It is Wuthering Heights and it isn’t.’
Speaking to Fandango on Wednesday, Emerald said: ‘I think it’s a lot of things but I think primarily it’s because the book means so much to me and it means so so much to so many people, and I’ve been doing a lot of talking to the Brontë Parsonage Museum and to other people who love this book too because it means a lot to me.
Emerald Fennell said adapting Wuthering Heights was an impossible task as she explained why she changed the title of her movie on Wednesday
The upcoming adaptation of Emily Brontë’s classic novel starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi is named “Wuthering Heights”, with the quotation marks
‘It’s every important that everyone who loves it as much as I do feels almost a part of it, I guess.’
She continued: ‘But the thing for me is you can’t adapt a book as dense and complicated and difficult as this book. I can’t say I’m making Wuthering Heights. It’s not possible.
‘What I can say is I’m making a version of it. There’s a version I remembered reading, which isn’t quite real. And there’s a version that I wanted to stuff to happen that never happened.
‘And so it is Wuthering Heights and it isn’t. But really I’d say any adaptation of a novel, and especially a novel like this, should have, you know, quotation marks around it.’
It comes after the film’s costume designer Jacqueline Durran has hit back at fans who criticised Margot Robbie’s ‘hideous’ outfits in the upcoming film.
Margot, 35, stars as Cathy in the new adaptation opposite Jacob Elordi, 28, who takes on the role of Heathcliff.
The full-length trailer dropped in November ahead of the film’s February 13 release and ever since, the movie has faced criticism over its modernised take on Emily Brontë’s classic – with many complaints aimed at the costumes.
Social media users have been sharing their opinions on the upcoming movie, which is set to a soundtrack by Queen of BRAT, Charli XCX.
Emerald said she consulted the Brontë Parsonage Museum and others who love the book as much as she does before deciding on the title, adding: ‘It is Wuthering Heights and it isn’t’
Emerald said you simply can’t adapt a book as ‘dense, complicated and difficult’ as Wuthering Heights, so you create a version of it rather than a replica
It comes after the film’s costume designer Jacqueline Durran has hit back at fans who criticised Margot Robbie’s ‘hideous’ outfits in the upcoming film
Taking to X, they said: ‘Wuthering heights costume design looking worse than bridgertons costume design and that’s saying a lot,’;
‘Cheap fantasy costume in Wuthering Heights,’; ‘So basically, it’s a costume party with a twist. Sounds fun but confusing,’;
‘At some point you have to admit this feels more like a vanity project for one particular producer/actor,’; ‘Images or styles that look good, and they chose a fugly plastic arts and crafts looking ahh dress with a bow,’;
‘A lot of costumes in period movies are not historically accurate but at least they make sense… This just looks random,’; ‘They are AWFUL and i’m not even mentioning if they are historically accurate or not. Hideous.’
Now, in a new interview, the two-time Oscar winner Jacqueline has defended the choices she made for the movie.
Margot, 35, stars as Cathy in the new adaptation opposite Jacob Elordi, 28, who takes on the role of Heathcliff
She told Vogue: ‘That idea of shiny surfaces is key to Cathy’s character and costumes.
‘It’s something that takes you out of the period, but it was exciting to mix the shape of a Victorian dress with a fabric that was completely modern.’
The costume designer added that ‘the dates are all confused,’ admitting the team wasn’t aiming for historical accuracy.
She explained they simply chose ‘clothes we like for each character’.
