Wuthering Heightswill not be featuring one of director Emerald Fennell’s most frequent collaborators. Fennell previously helmed the 2020 revenge moviePromising Young Woman, for which she won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and the 2023 dramedy thrillerSaltburn, which was nominated for two Golden Globes. Her upcomingWuthering Heightsadaptation, which premieres on June 20, 2025, will star Margot Robbie as Catherine and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff alongside an ensemble that also includes Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, and Alison Oliver.
PerVariety, Carey Mulligan - who played the lead character inPromising Young Womanand turned in a memorable supporting performance inSaltburn- will not be reuniting with the director forWuthering Heights, which she says is currently in production. Mulligan, who is busy shootingBeefseason 2, shared this announcement at theVarietyStudio at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with some regret, though she said thatshe hopes that she can appear in “all of [Fennell’s films] in the future.“Read Mulligan’s full quote below:
Not on this one. She’s shooting now. But hopefully all of [Fennell’s films] in the future. I would love that.
What This Means For Wuthering Heights
The Cast Is Still Exciting
It seems like the fact that Fennell could not feature Carey Mulligan in theWuthering Heightscastis a missed opportunity. Even though the lead role has already been filled,the original Emily Brontë novel contains quite a few supporting characters that Mulligan would have probably brought to lifewith aplomb, had she been able to join the production. Even with the secondary female roles of Nelly Dean and Isabella Linton being taken by Chau and Oliver respectively, there are still other characters she could have played in a cameo appearance.
The classic novelWuthering Heightswas originally published in 1847, with Brontë using the pseudonym Ellis Bell.
However, the movie does featuremultiple reunions between Emerald Fennell and other previous collaborators. While this is the first of the director’s movies to star Margot Robbie, Robbie produced bothPromising Young WomanandSaltburnin addition to co-starring with Fennell in the 2023 smash hitBarbie, in which the director played a minor supporting role as Midge. Additionally, Jacob Elordi was one of the lead stars ofSaltburn, soWuthering Heightsmarks their second collaboration.
Our Take On Carey Mulligan’s Absence From Wuthering Heights
She Can Still Return To Emerald Fennell’s Filmography
Although her commitments toBeefseason 2have seemingly prevented her from making an appearance inWuthering Heights, this does not mean that Mulligan will never again appear in an Emerald Fennell movie. In fact, her absence from the Brontë adaptation could make their eventual reunion that much sweeter because there will have been more time betweenSaltburnand their next collaboration than there was betweenPromising Young WomanandSaltburn, allowing audiences to miss her presence in Fennell’s movies.
