Director Emerald Fennell Draws Inspiration from Classics for New Film

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell recently revealed her upcoming project on X (formerly Twitter).

The Saltburn director shared an intriguing artwork by Katie Buckley featuring the phrases “Be with me always,” “Take any form,” and “Drive me mad” above intertwined skeletons. At the center of the artwork was the title of the 1847 classic gothic novel “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Brontë, published under the pen name Ellis Bell.

“Wuthering Heights” narrates the tale of two landed gentry families in the West Yorkshire moors: the Earnshaws and the Lintons. A central character is Heathcliff, the Earnshaws’ foster son. As he ascends in society, Heathcliff returns to seek vengeance on both the Earnshaws and the Lintons, who he believes thwarted his true love, Catherine.

“Wuthering Heights” has seen several film adaptations. The earliest, a silent film from 1920, remains largely unknown in terms of its existing prints. The 1939 adaptation directed by William Wyler starred Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff and Merle Oberon as Catherine. This version was nominated for eight Oscars and won Best Cinematography in black-and-white. Despite its acclaim, it only covered half of Brontë’s novel, omitting the story of the second generation.

In 1970, another adaptation was directed by Robert Fuest with Timothy Dalton as Heathcliff and Anna Calder-Marshall as Catherine. Similar to its 1939 predecessor, this film also left out the second generation characters.

The novel received its third Hollywood adaptation in 1992, directed by Peter Kosminsky. This time, Ralph Fiennes made his film debut as Heathcliff, while Juliette Binoche played Catherine. Unlike previous versions, this film included the second generation characters from the novel.

The latest adaptation came in 2011, directed by Andrea Arnold, with Kaya Scodelario as Catherine and James Howson as Heathcliff. This version focused on the main characters’ childhood and adolescence. It also took creative liberties, such as not naming the Earnshaw and Linton households and omitting significant parts of the story after Catherine’s death, including Linton’s birth, Linton’s romance with Cathy, and Heathcliff’s death.

Emerald Fennell, known for her acting roles such as Midge in the 2023 Barbie film and Camilla Parker Bowles in Netflix’s The Crown, has carved a reputation as a multi-talented artist. She initially made a name for herself as a writer with her work on the series “Killing Eve.” Her breakout directorial and screenwriting career flourished with the 2020 film “Promising Young Woman,” earning her an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and nominations for Best Director and Best Picture.

Fennell’s most recent project before this announcement was 2022’s “Saltburn,” featuring Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, and produced by Amazon.

Source: 1895 Films, Netflix