Fans are calling for casting director, Kharmel Cochrane to be “shot” after a test viewing of the latest adaptation of the 1847 classic Wuthering Heights.
The menacing behavior is part of a general pattern of dissent surrounding English producer Emerald Fennell’s foray into old literature after her 2023 dark comedy, Saltburn—which is known for its adult themes.
According to those who saw its preview in Dallas on August 4, Fennell’s proclivity for X-rated content has spilled over into the new production.
People who have seen the sneak preview have slammed the film for being “tonally abrasive”
Image credits: Plex
World of Reel, a platform covering the film industry, reported that the audience displayed a “visible restlessness” during the viewing.
It quoted a critic describing it (the film) as “aggressively provocative and tonally abrasive,” claiming that it leans “hard into Fennell’s now-familiar brand of stylized depravity.”
“It’s a deliberately unromantic take on (Emily) Brontë’s novel,” the critic complained, “of emotional nuance and full of salacious detours that serve shock value.
Image credits: Samir Hussein/Getty
“[It is] far more explicit than any previous adaptation of this material,” they said of the film that allegedly starts “with a public hanging,” and “quickly descends into grotesque absurdity.”
Fans threatened the producer for casting Margot Robbie in the film
The verbal thrashing extended to the producer’s choice of actors, with another attendee pointing out that while Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie played Heathcliff and Cathy earnestly and have “great chemistry,” their characters were “so cold and unlikable that even strong acting can’t create a point of connection.”
Image credits: Brendon Thorne/Getty
The production’s casting director, Kharmel Cochrane, commented on the controversy at the Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews in April this year.
She told the United Kingdom’s Metro news outlet that she had received a volley of harassment for casting Robbie and Elordi.
“I have really had to hold back on Instagram after a glass of wine, because I think someone was like, ‘The casting director should be shot’,” she told the publication.
Kharmel Cochrane suggested that fans wait until they watched the movie, and then could say “whatever they wanted”
Margot Robbie on set of Wuthering Heights (dir. Emerald Fennell) which will come out in February 2026.
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Cochrane explained that the dissent did not surprise her: “There’s definitely going to be some English [literature] fans that are not going to be happy.”
She suggested that the book’s fans were likely to be even more disgruntled when they actually saw the film.
“Wait until you see the set design, because it’s even more shocking,” she claimed. “And there may or may not be a dog collar in it,” she teased.
Image credits: Prime Video
“You can read anything into a book and make it your interpretation.
“And it’s really easy to sit online and say things, but just wait until you’ve watched it, and then you can say – maybe not that I deserve to be shot – but you can say what you want!’” Cochrane suggested.
Fundis in the industry are suggesting that this is just the reaction that Fennell was aiming for
Image credits: Oscilloscope Pictures
The World of Reel critique observes that the screenplay steps away from the original plot in a manner that is typical of Fennell.
It further observed that the film sounded like the “most unusual Wuthering Heights to date,” which “might not be a bad thing.”
“The last thing anyone wants is another by-the-numbers adaptation.
“What the next film version called for was a jolt of fresh energy, something bold and unexpected.
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“For better or worse, it seems that’s exactly what Emerald Fennell may have brought to the table.”
Criticism swirling around the preview has heightened some fans’ anticipation
The news has drawn a mixed reaction from the general public, wetting some movie enthusiasts’ appetites, while drawing scorn from others.
Image credits: Once Upon a Book Club
“Ooohh now then …you got me interest[ed] in watch[ing] this one,” wrote a fan in response to a Facebook update.
“That’s what happens when Emerald Fennell is involved,” observed another.
Image credits: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
A focal point for netizens was the adaptation’s adult themes, and one person, opting for the middle ground, wrote: “So showing the depths of human depravity hasn’t changed much in a few hundred years.”
Some people see a flop coming
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