Johnny Depp is reportedly in final talks to star in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol for Paramount Pictures. Depp would play the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bill Murray, Michael Caine, and Jim Carrey.
Variety reported that the adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel, if it goes ahead, would come out on November 13, 2026. Horror movie director Ti West, who’s behind the likes of Maxxxine and Pearl, has signed on, with Andrea Riseborough, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in 2022’s To Leslie (2022), set to co-star.
It turns out that Depp will have competition when it comes to Scrooge, as Nosferatu director Robert Eggers has an adaptation of A Christmas Carol in the works for Warner Bros., with Willem Dafoe, who stole the show in Nosferatu, in line to play the title role.
Assuming Depp in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol comes to pass, it will be his first role from a major studio since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Depp is slowly but surely returning to the limelight. He’s currently working on creating the character of Hyde for a new graphic novel with Ridley Scott, and he’s set to star alongside Penélope Cruz in Lionsgate’s American action thriller Day Drinker, which carries a 2026 release date.
Meanwhile, there are rumblings that Depp may return to the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, in which he played the much-loved Captain Jack Sparrow. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said he’s spoken to Depp about returning as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 — and it sounds like the actor is interested.
In 2018, Depp lost a libel case he lodged against the UK publisher of The Sun newspaper over an article which characterised him as having been violent towards his former wife Amber Heard. The following year, Depp then successfully sued Heard for defamation over an article written by her in The Washington Post, the publication of which, Depp claimed, had led to Disney refusing to work with him.
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
