RM Johnny Depp Returns to the Big Screen as a Darker Ebenezer Scrooge in Ti West’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
“He’s back — but not as you remember him.” Johnny Depp is stepping into one of literature’s most iconic roles in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, a chilling reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale from acclaimed horror filmmaker Ti West. It’s being described as less of a comeback and more of a resurrection — colder, grittier, and more deeply human than ever before.
After years away from major Hollywood productions, Depp will embody Ebenezer Scrooge, a man tormented by the ghosts of his past — both literal and metaphorical. Insiders suggest the film mirrors not only Scrooge’s redemption arc, but also Depp’s own return to grace in the eyes of the public.
Entertainment Weekly has confirmed that Ebenezer will be produced by Paramount Pictures, with the studio in final negotiations to fully back the project. The screenplay comes from Nathaniel Halpern, creator of Prime Video’s sci-fi series Tales from the Loop, who previously collaborated with West on an episode of that show.
West, best known for his modern horror trilogy (X, Pearl, and the upcoming Maxxxine), is expected to bring a chilling, atmospheric edge to the Dickensian classic. The story will retain the familiar structure — the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future guiding a cold-hearted miser toward redemption — but through a darker, psychological lens.
Joining Depp in the cast is Academy Award nominee Andrea Riseborough, whose role remains undisclosed. She could potentially portray Belle, Scrooge’s lost love, Mrs. Cratchit, or even one (or more) of the film’s spectral visitors.
A newly released synopsis describes the project as “a haunting ghost story set in Victorian London, chronicling one man’s supernatural confrontation with his past, present, and future in a desperate fight for his soul.”
Emma Watts is producing the film, with Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman on board as executive producers. Paramount has slated Ebenezer for a November 13, 2026 release — positioning it between Warner Bros.’ animated Cat in the Hat (opening the week before) and Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (opening the week after).
Ebenezer marks Depp’s first major U.S. studio film since his highly publicized defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. The 2022 case concluded with a jury finding that Heard had defamed Depp in her 2018 Washington Post op-ed. The two later settled following her appeal.
Since then, Depp has slowly rebuilt his career, appearing in Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry (2023) and directing Modì: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, a biopic starring Al Pacino, set for release on November 7. He also stars in Marc Webb’s Day Drinker for Lionsgate, marking his fourth collaboration with Penélope Cruz.
With Ebenezer, Depp and West promise a version of A Christmas Carol unlike any before — gothic, tragic, and profoundly human. This winter tale of ghosts and guilt could mark not only Scrooge’s salvation, but Depp’s as well.
