Johnny Depp to Play Scrooge in Adaptation of Holiday Classic ‘A Christmas Carol’

Depp will star opposite British actress Andrea Riseborough in ‘Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol,’ from Paramount Pictures.

Johnny Depp poses for photographers upon arrival at the opening ceremony and the premiere of the film 'Jeanne du Barry' at the 76th international film festival in Cannes, France, on May 16, 2023. Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

Johnny Depp will portray the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in a forthcoming adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic holiday story “A Christmas Carol,” the actor’s publicist confirmed with The Epoch Times on Friday.

“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol,” from Paramount Pictures, is directed by Ti West from a script penned by Nathaniel Halpern.

Depp stars opposite British actress Andrea Riseborough, known for her roles in “Oblivion” (2013) and “Nocturnal Animals” (2016).

The film marks one of Depp’s first major film roles since winning a 2022 defamation suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.

Depp starred in the 2023 historical drama “Jeanne du Barry,” which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival that May, as well as the 2020 biographical drama “Minamata,” about photographer W. Eugene Smith.

The actor is now set to star alongside actresses Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline in the action thriller “Day Drinker,” which is expected to be released sometime next year.

“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” will hit theaters in November 2026.

The film is “a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London, following one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present, and future as he fights for a second chance at redemption,” an official synopsis reads.

Dickens’s novella, originally published in December 1843, showcases the redemption arc of the bitter and greedy businessman Scrooge after he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.

“Initially Scrooge fails to take the warning seriously, but as the ghostly visits become more terrifying, Scrooge begins to realize that he must change his ways,” a synopsis reads.

“By the end of the story, Scrooge has completely transformed, having learned the importance of charity, friendship and generosity. Christmas is now his favorite time of the year.”

Charles Dickens's famous Christmas story is promoted in a lobby card for the 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol." MovieStillsDB

The time-honored tale has been retold numerous times on the big screen.

Actors Reginald Owen and Alastair Sim played the titular role in the 1938 and 1951 adaptations of “A Christmas Carol,” respectively.

Bill Murray’s portrayal of the cynical television executive Frank Cross in the 1988 dark comedy “Scrooged” was also fashioned after Dickens’s famous character.

Other versions include the 1992 puppetry film “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” starring Michael Caine, and the 2009 animated fantasy “A Christmas Carol,” starring Jim Carrey.

Horror filmmaker Robert Eggers is also set to write and direct a retelling of the ghost story for Warner Bros., Deadline reported in June.

Actor Willem Dafoe is expected to play the role of Scrooge, continuing his longstanding collaboration with Eggers, having previously starred in “The Lighthouse” (2019), “The Northman” (2022), and “Nosferatu” (2024).