Forget Wuthering Heights 2026 – Here’s Why Egypt’s 1956 Adaptation Still Rules!

Another Wuthering Heights adaptation is on the way, this time from Emerald Fennell, arriving on February 13, 2026. With Margot Robbie as Catherine Earnshaw and Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff, the film is already making headlines. But let’s not forget: this isn’t the first time Emily Brontë’s gothic tragedy, Wuthering Heights, has been reimagined, and Egypt actually got there decades ago.

Since its publication in 1847, Wuthering Heights has inspired countless adaptations across the world, from Laurence Olivier’s 1939 Hollywood version to Japan’s 1988 Arashi ga Oka. But in 1956, Egyptian cinema offered its own take with Al Gharib (The Stranger), directed by Kamal El Sheikh.

Shot in black and white, the film featured an all-star Egyptian cast: Yehia Shahin, Magda, Kamal El Shennawy, Hussein Riad, Mohsen Sarhan, and Zahrat ElOla. The story mirrored Brontë’s tale of love, obsession, and revenge, but with an Egyptian setting. Hajj Kamel adopts an orphan, Gharib, raising him alongside his daughter Yasmin and son Mahrez. As the children grow, Mahrez’s jealousy clashes with Yasmin’s affection for Gharib, and tragedy unfolds when wealth, marriage, and power interfere.

Many critics still say Egypt’s Al Gharib is among the most faithful adaptations of Wuthering Heights, capturing the same raw intensity Brontë wrote into the Yorkshire moors, but through a uniquely Egyptian lens.

So while the 2026 version will no doubt put a modern spin on the story (especially with Fennell’s daring vision), it’s worth remembering: Egyptians brought Wuthering Heights to the screen nearly 70 years ago.

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