Paramount has announced a star-studded cast set to join Johnny Depp in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, a fresh take on the festive classic.
Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint, The Hunger Games’ Sam Claflin and Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley will all join the former Pirates of the Caribbean legend, alongside Lord of the Rings’ Ian McKellen, The Grudge’s Andrea Riseborough and Severance’s Tramell Tillman.
Depp will play the title role of Christmas-despising miser Ebenezer Scrooge in this retelling of the Charles Dickens’ novella. The movie will be Depp’s most prominent project since 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, following his recent high-profile legal issues with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Deadline reports that this version will focus on Depp’s incarnation of Scrooge facing his past, present and future while fighting for a second chance. Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol has been set with a November 13, 2026 release date.
Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movie series, is reportedly set to play Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s loyal clerk and father of Tiny Tim, the beleaguered boy that ultimately helps soften Scrooge’s heart.
Recent months have seen announcements for a growing number of projects involving Depp, as the actor inches back into the spotlight. The actor has said he’s working on creating the character of Hyde for a new graphic novel with Ridley Scott, will produce and potentially star in an English adaptation of Russian literary classic The Master and Margarita, and will next be seen in theaters alongside Penélope Cruz in Lionsgate’s American action thriller Day Drinker, which carries a 2026 release date.
Is all of this leading to a return for Depp as his iconic Pirates of the Caribbean character Captain Jack Sparrow? As long-gestating plans for a sixth entry in the swashbuckling blockbuster series finally begin to materialize, there’s fresh signs that Depp could be included.
Back in August, producer Jerry Bruckheimer revealed he had spoken to Depp about returning as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 — and it sounded like the actor was interested. “If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it,” Bruckheimer said. “It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know.”
Earlier this month, Depp made a special appearance in Japan to receive a custom piece of artwork showing Captain Jack Sparrow drawn in the style of One Piece, penned by the anime’s creator.
Image credit: Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
