Whenever a new adaptation or remake is announced, the internet is always quick to share its opinions. Although sometimes it’s just people being overly critical of a project, the public often raises valid concerns. The tricky thing with remakes and adaptations is that the creators always have a source material to pull from. Whether that original work is popular or obscure, it usually comes with its own set of fans that have formed attachments to certain parts of the original content and don’t want to see it changed. The newest internet discourse surrounding this topic arose when two classical novel adaptations were announced. The Picture of Dorian Gray has been optioned as a TV series by Netflix and it has been revealed that Wuthering Heights will get a new movie adaptation, led by director and writer Emerald Fenell, who also directed the film Saltburn. This isn’t the first time these novels have been adapted for the screen, so what is it that has fans so upset?
Let’s start by discussing the adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray. As someone who read and loved the novel, I was excited to see what the modern remake would look like as a TV series. However, my hopes for a successful adaptation were extinguished when I saw what the changes to the plot were. Jordan Robledo reported on fan’s displeasure with the decision to make Dorian and Basil, two of the main characters, brothers in the Netflix remake. In the novel, Dorian and Basil’s friendship is full of queer subtext and it’s the foundation for the entire story. It is because of Basil’s infatuation with Dorian that he paints the infamous portrait that propels the novel’s plot. Robledo quoted several tweets that expressed the problems with this decision. One X user, Rebekah Westenra, said it best, specifying in their statement that this decision was directly contributing to the erasure of the queer themes in the novel.
While the adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray has encountered problems in terms of storyline, the criticism for Wuthering Heights has been a matter of casting. The remake announcement was accompanied by the casting of the two leads, Catherine and Heathcliff, who will be played by the actress Margot Robbie, most recently acclaimed for her role in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, and actor Jacob Elordi, who has appeared in projects like Euphoria and Saltburn. The problem with this casting? Heathcliff, Elordi’s character, is described as a dark-skinned man and is a victim of prejudice and racism throughout the novel because of this. Some people might argue that this isn’t the first time a white actor has portrayed the role of Heathcliff, as it’s been seen in past film adaptations. “But things are different now, the way we represent certain people in art and culture comes with a responsibility now that wasn’t there 20 years ago”, Michael Stewart stated; which I feel sums up the general public’s criticism over the casting choice.
Remakes and adaptations will never please everyone. There is always going to be a scene, character, or detail that will be changed and that fans won’t be happy with. However, there is a difference between taking creative liberties and perpetuating erasure. With each remake, there are certain elements of the original that shouldn’t be changed in order to avoid altering the plot and themes of the stories. When it comes to both of these remakes, the concerns surrounding them are completely valid. The plot points that they are changing directly impact the story and alter the significance of it. The concerns raised aren’t necessarily an attack on the writing or acting abilities of the parties involved, but rather an attempt to preserve the novel’s identity. By altering these plot points, you not only lose a key part of the story, but you are also erasing the representation they contain.