Johnny Depp is all up for a mainstream comeback in Ti West's upcoming movie, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol

After years of working mostly outside the Hollywood system, Johnny Depp is stepping back into the studio spotlight with Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, directed by acclaimed horror filmmaker Ti West. The film is a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ timeless 1843 novella, set to arrive in theaters on November 13, 2026, under Paramount Pictures.

Everything we know about Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol so far

So far, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is shaping up to be a darker, more atmospheric take on Dickens’ classic. The film is being described as a “thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London,” centering on one man’s supernatural journey toward redemption.

While the story remains faithful to the original concept, West’s horror background suggests audiences can expect something more unnerving and cinematic than the average holiday adaptation.

Paramount Pictures is in final negotiations to produce, with Emma Watts on board as producer and Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman serving as executive producers. The screenplay is written by Nathaniel Halpern, the creator of Tales from the Loop.

Ti West, the creative mind behind X, Pearl, and MaXXXine, will bring his signature slow-burn tension and psychological flair to a story that’s equal parts supernatural and human.

The cast so far includes Johnny Depp as Scrooge and Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Mandy) in an undisclosed role. Given her range, Riseborough could appear as Belle, Scrooge’s long-lost fiancée, or perhaps as one of the spectral visitors that guide him through his haunting night.

Production is expected to begin in early 2025, primarily filming across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

This adaptation comes amid a resurgence of interest in Dickens’ work, with Ebenezer being one of two A Christmas Carol projects currently in development.

Warner Bros. is also preparing a version directed by Robert Eggers, starring Willem Dafoe. Given West’s track record of balancing emotional realism with genre elements, Ebenezer could deliver one of the most unique versions of Dickens’ story ever put to screen.

Johnny Depp’s Hollywood hiatus and road to redemption

While Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol marks a creative reunion with major studios, it also represents a deeply personal return for Johnny Depp. The actor’s career was effectively derailed following his widely publicized legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard.

The 2022 defamation trial, which concluded in Depp’s favor, dominated headlines and caused several studios to distance themselves from the star.

In 2020, Warner Bros. asked Depp to resign from his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Around the same time, Disney put future Pirates of the Caribbean projects on hold, despite Depp’s long association with the billion-dollar franchise. In the years that followed, Depp shifted his focus overseas, appearing in Maïwenn’s French-language period drama Jeanne du Barry and directing Modì, a biopic about artist Amedeo Modigliani starring Al Pacino.

He also completed Day Drinker, a Lionsgate thriller co-starring Penélope Cruz, expected to be released in 2026.

The casting of Scrooge feels symbolic, as he is shown as a character who is forced to confront his moral failures and redeem himself, which kind of feels symbolic given Johnny Depp is playing the role.

Depp is known to be eccentric in his roles and also adds great emotional depth to his films.

With Ti West behind the camera and Johnny Depp in one of literature’s most iconic roles, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol has the potential to become one of the most distinctive adaptations yet.

The combination of West’s haunting visual style and Depp’s introspective performance could turn this into a gothic reinvention of the classic redemption story.