Owen Cooper’s lead performance in Adolescence took the world by storm earlier this year, and the young star recently broke records as the youngest male recipient of an Emmy Award this past weekend. Though Cooper didn’t even appear in every episode of Adolescence, he was the clear standout of the show, and his career is only getting more exciting.

While Cooper’s victory at the Emmys will certainly open plenty of doors for him, the actor already has a very interesting project lined up on the horizon. He will appear in Emerald Fennell’s subversive adaptation of Wuthering Heights, scheduled for release on Valentine’s Day next year.

Owen Cooper Is Playing Young Heathcliff In Wuthering Heights

In a very different type of role from his turn in Adolescence, Owen Cooper will appear as a younger version of Jacob Elordi’s Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. The character, created by Emily Brontë in 1847, is often regarded as the archetype of a classic Byronic anti-hero: somebody whose self-destructive jealousy and compulsions destroy the lives of those around him.

There are clearly similarities to be drawn between the misplaced anger of Cooper’s Adolescence protagonist and the tragic rage of somebody like Heathcliff, but this will be a very different undertaking for the young actor. Not to mention, this is an existing character that’s already beloved by a huge audience, so there’s a certain amount of pressure that comes with the role.

While nobody is doubting that Cooper will do an excellent job with this character, it’s certainly going to be a very demanding role. Not only is he sharing Brontë’s anti-hero with an acclaimed actor like Elordi, but it’s also fair to ᴀssume that Fennell will be changing some aspects of Heathcliff’s personality to fit her modernized, unique take on the story.

Adolescence may have been the springboard that Cooper needed to get his break in Hollywood, but Wuthering Heights could be the project that finally cements him as a lasting star. Reactions to the initial Wuthering Heights trailer have been mixed, but this controversy will only bring even more attention to the project.

There are very few literary figures quite as beguiling and complex as Heathcliff, so it will be fascinating to see how Cooper brings this character to life. His role will certainly be smaller than Elordi’s, but Heathcliff’s younger years are crucial to understanding why the character becomes as tortured and expressive as he does. Cooper will be instrumental in bringing that to life in Wuthering Heights.