Johnny Depp‘s Hollywood comeback is now in full swing, with his most prominent onscreen role since his cancellation. But bear with us, reader, as the project he’ll star in is sure to drop jaws, and for multiple reasons.
Deadline reports that Depp will star in Paramount‘s newly announced “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” as Charles Dickens‘ infamous miserly curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge. Depp as Scrooge? Yes, you read that correctly, but it’s who’s directing and when Paramount will release the film in theaters that cause the real shock. “MaXXXine” director Ti West is on board to helm the adaptation, with a theatrical release date of November 13, 2026. That’s a little over a year before Warner Bros. releases Robert Eggers‘ “A Christmas Carol” with Willem Dafoe in theaters, on Christmas Day 2027. And it’s six weeks before Eggers’ other upcoming film, “Werwulf” at Focus Features, hits theaters on Christmas Day 2026.
Is that release date a deliberate maneuver by Paramount? How could it not be? The theatrical showdown pits two of horror’s most notable directors in a head-to-head that genre fans will no doubt relish. What’s more, “Ebenezer” will be West’s first major studio film of his career, a move of good faith on Paramount’s part after West’s “X” trilogy did so well for A24. In short, this feels like a calculated tactic on the part of the studio and West, even if it’s not a direct showdown between the two Dickens adaptations.
What else do we know about “Ebenezer” at this point? Andrea Riseborough is set to co-star in the film in an undisclosed role, with Nathaniel Halpern penning the script. Emma Watts is also on board to produce the pic, with Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman executive producing. For those unfamiliar with “A Christmas Carol,” the story follows an elderly miser in London visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, whose lessons give him a new lease on life. Dickens’ novel has been adapted as a play, film, and TV show countless times, and considered a timeless holiday classic.
And that timeless quality could be why Depp signs on as Ebenezer Scrooge; it all but guarantees this pic will be a financial success, and thus secure Depp’s return to A-list status (if that is indeed still possible post-cancellation). It’s also a role reminiscent of the big, bold characters Depp has played throughout his career, like Captain Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka. And the actor needs a role like that, given his struggles to return to movies in recent years. 2023’s “Jeanne du Barry” premiered to little fanfare at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and Depp’s 2024 directorial effort “Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness” also failed to make waves, receiving middling reviews. But “Day Drinker,” Depp’s next acting gig, may have better luck. That one, from Lionsgate and “Snow White” director Marc Webb stars Depp, Penélope Cruz, and Madelyn Cline in a crime thriller set in the jetset world of yachting.
Another thing to ponder: with Paramount fast-tracking “Ebenezer,” does that kill Eggers’ “A Christmas Carol” at Warner Bros.? “Werwulf” comes first anyway. Still, Eggers may want to make something else instead of teeing off against Ti West 58 week after “Ebenezer” hits theaters.
