Jacob Elordi's casting in Wuthering Heights draws backlash over controversial detail

Following major backlash from diehard literature fans, 'Wuthering Heights' director Emerald Fennell has been forced to defend her decision to cast Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff.

The star-studded steamy blockbuster - a supposedly 'scandalous and intoxicating' adaptation of Emily Brontë's 1847 English classic - is due for cinematic release on 13 February.

It sees 35-year-old Margot Robbie take on the role of Cathy, alongside 28-year-old Elordi's Heathcliff, in this gothic tale of intense love, obsession, and revenge, spanning two generations of landowning families living on the Yorkshire moors.

Despite not yet being available to view, the x-rated adaption has already set tongues wagging for a number of reasons - from director Fennell asking synth-pop goddess Charli XCX to provide the soundtrack, to a controversial finger sucking scene that led fans to question whether Robbie and Elordi's on-screen chemistry was just as palpable when the cameras stopped rolling.

Another major talking point was the casting in general, with fans of the original Victorian novel questioning why Fennell hired a white actor for the lead male role, pointing out that Brontë had described Heathcliff as a 'dark-skinned gipsy'.

The writer also wrote of the hunky heartthrob's 'black eyes' - 'as dark as if it came from the devil'. Another character also remarks of Heathcliff in the work, 'Who knows but your father was Emperor of China, and your mother an Indian queen'.

Amongst those convinced that the author intended for Elordi's character to be 'either black or mixed-race' is Michael Stewart, director of the Brontë Writing Center, who told The Telegraph: "There are lots of clues in the text to suggest that."

In agreement is Brontë scholar Claire O’Callaghan, who added that the director's choice of a white actor 'overlooks the ambiguity that’s there'.

She added: "[This] therefore kind of overlooks the readings that Emily Brontë is pointing to that are as rich as anything else."

The director defended her decision to cast Elordi (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

In response to the headline-hitting casting controversy, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Fennell - who previously worked with Australian actor Elordi on Saltburn - defended her choice of lead male.

"I think the thing is everyone who loves this book has such a personal connection to it," she explained. "And so you can only ever kind of make the movie that that you sort of imagined yourself when you read it."

The 40-year-old went on to confess: "I don’t know, I think I was sort of focusing on the kind of sado-masochistic elements of it - that’s the great thing about this movie is that it could be made every year and it would still be so moving and so interesting."

Elordi's co-star Robbie also defended Fennell's decision, telling Variety she 'gets' the criticism, but adding: "There’s nothing else to go off at this point until people see the movie."

Fans of the original book have criticised the casting of Elordi (Warner Bros.)

The Aussie actress also recalled her reaction to seeing the cast-mate in costume for the first time: "Oh my God, it’s the Heathcliff on the cover of the book that I’ve had since I was a teenager."

Robbie continued: "I saw him play Heathcliff. And he is Heathcliff. I’d say, just wait. Trust me, you’ll be happy.

"It’s a character that has this lineage of other great actors who’ve played him, from Laurence Olivier to Richard Burton and Ralph Fiennes to Tom Hardy. To be a part of that is special."

She went on to gush of Elordi: "He’s incredible and I believe in him so much. I honestly think he’s our generation’s Daniel Day-Lewis."