‘Ebenezer’ Featurette Reveals Johnny Depp’s Dark Transformation Into Scrooge

Johnny Depp is stepping into one of literature’s most familiar roles with a distinctly darker edge, and a newly released behind-the-scenes featurette for Ebenezer offers a closer look at how Ti West’s Gothic reworking of A Christmas Carol is bringing Scrooge back to the big screen.

The Paramount Pictures release opens in UK cinemas on 13 November, with Depp taking the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella. Directed by West from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, the film is being positioned as a fresh interpretation of the story rather than a straightforward retelling.

The new featurette focuses on Depp’s transformation into Scrooge and also includes contributions from several members of the cast, including Tramell Tillman, Ellie Bamber, Sam Claflin, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley and Ian McKellen.

Set in early Victorian London, Ebenezer follows the miserly businessman through the supernatural journey that has defined the story for generations, as visions of his past, present and possible future force him to confront the life he has built and the consequences still waiting ahead.

The supporting cast places several recognisable names around Depp. Grint plays Bob Cratchit, while Andrea Riseborough appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Tillman takes the role of the Ghost of Christmas Present. McKellen plays Scrooge’s deceased business partner Jacob Marley, with Claflin as Fred, Arthur Conti as the younger Ebenezer and Bamber as Belle. Ridley also appears among the principal cast.

Production began earlier this year, with filming taking place in London and Dublin as well as The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent, a location regularly used to recreate historical streets and waterfronts.

The project also marks Depp’s return to a major studio production, with Paramount having steadily built anticipation through CinemaCon footage, a July trailer and a Comic-Con appearance in which the actor arrived in full Scrooge costume.

West, whose recent work has largely been associated with horror through films including X, Pearl and MaXXXine, gives the Dickens material an intriguing genre connection. The marketing to date has leaned heavily into the supernatural side of the story, emphasising ghosts, ominous imagery and Scrooge’s psychological descent rather than presenting the material solely as seasonal family drama.

Ebenezer will be released exclusively in cinemas on 13 November 2026. Check out the trailer below.

Ebenezer trailer