Johnny Depp is coming back to the big screen this holiday season in a role that feels tailor-made for him: the ultimate miser.
In Ebenezer (also known as Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol), Depp stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in a gothic reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic. Directed by Ti West—the filmmaker behind the X trilogy (X, Pearl, MaXXXine)—the film is set for a wide theatrical release on November 13, 2026, and is being heavily marketed for the Thanksgiving holiday window.
The official poster, released today, leans hard into the intrigue with the tagline: “Before he was Scrooge… he was Ebenezer.” Paramount is positioning this as more than a straightforward holiday retelling. Early descriptions call it a “thrilling ghost story” set in Dickens’ London, following one man’s supernatural journey through his past, present, and future as he fights for a second chance.
Depp, long known for fully committing to eccentric and transformative characters (Captain Jack Sparrow, the Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka), appears heavily aged and weathered in the first footage and set photos that have circulated. At CinemaCon earlier this year he introduced the first look himself, drawing strong applause as he stepped back into the studio system after years largely outside mainstream Hollywood.
The supporting cast is stacked. Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, Daisy Ridley and Sam Claflin are also onboard, Andrea Riseborough is expected to take on one of the key spectral roles, Tramell Tillman joins the ensemble, and Ian McKellen appears as the ghostly Jacob Marley. The combination of West’s horror-leaning sensibility with a classic Christmas story has already sparked talk that this could be one of the darker, more unsettling takes on the material.
Principal photography wrapped earlier this year in London and Dublin. The film is produced by Emma Watts, with a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern.
For audiences who grew up with the softer, more sentimental versions of A Christmas Carol, West’s approach signals something different—less cozy fireplace, more haunted London streets and genuine dread. Depp’s Scrooge is being sold as the name you know, but the story you don’t.
Ebenezer arrives in theaters November 13, just ahead of Thanksgiving 2026. Whether it becomes a new holiday staple or a darker cult favorite remains to be seen, but the combination of Depp’s return and West’s distinctive style has already put it high on the radar for the end of the year.
