Ebenezer Scrooge Movie Brings Johnny Depp to Dickens in 2026
Johnny Depp is stepping into one of literature’s most recognizable roles in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, a new take on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story. Directed by Ti West, the film is scheduled to hit theaters on November 13, 2026, with Paramount Pictures behind the release.
The trailer suggests a darker, more stylized version of A Christmas Carol, complete with ghosts, Victorian gloom and a Scrooge who looks very much at home in Depp’s eccentric character wheelhouse.
And then there’s that tagline: “Before he was Scrooge, he was Ebenezer” has already sent parts of the internet into a minor identity crisis.
Here’s what we actually know about the movie so far.
The Quick Version
- Title: Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol
- Star: Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge
- Director: Ti West
- Writer: Nathaniel Halpern
- Based on: Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
- Distributor: Paramount Pictures
- Theatrical release: November 13, 2026
- Genre: Holiday fantasy/drama with a supernatural, darker edge
- Trailer: Released in July 2026
When Can You See the Ebenezer Scrooge Movie?
Mark November 13, 2026 on the calendar. The Scrooge movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on that date, giving audiences a new take on Dickens’ famous Christmas character.
Paramount has scheduled Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol for a theatrical release on that date. The studio also featured the movie during its 2026 CinemaCon presentation, describing the footage as a dramatic and stylized reimagining of the classic story. That gives the movie a prime spot just ahead of the holiday season.
Johnny Depp Has Plenty of Company in the Cast
Depp is the obvious headline, but the supporting cast gives this Christmas story some serious acting muscle.
The currently listed cast includes:
- Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge
- Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley
- Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit
- Sam Claflin as Fred
- Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past
- Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present
- Robert Strange as the Ghost of Christmas Future
- Ellie Bamber as Belle
- Arthur Conti as Young Ebenezer
- Charlie Murphy in an undisclosed role
- Henry Lloyd-Hughes in an undisclosed role
That casting also clears up one detail that has been muddled in some earlier coverage.
Daisy Ridley has been associated with the project in reporting and appears in several cast listings, but current detailed cast databases do not establish a specific character for her. So it is safer not to repeat earlier claims that she plays the Ghost of Christmas Future as fact.
The same caution applies to any additional character assignments that have not been officially confirmed.
What Is This Version of a Christmas Carol Actually About?
Dickens’ miser is a lonely, hard-hearted businessman whose obsession with money has pushed compassion and human connection to the sidelines. His life changes when supernatural visitors force him to confront his past, present and possible future.
The official film description centers on one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present and future while fighting for another chance at redemption. That makes the ghosts more than festive decorations. They are the mechanism that forces Scrooge to look at the person he has become and the person he could still become.
The casting of Arthur Conti as Young Ebenezer and Ellie Bamber as Belle also suggests that Scrooge’s earlier life will matter to the emotional story.
The First Trailer Goes Heavy on Ghosts and Atmosphere
The trailer makes one thing clear pretty quickly: This is not aiming for a cozy Christmas postcard.
Paramount’s footage presents a more dramatic interpretation, with Depp buried under Scrooge’s Victorian look and the supernatural elements pushed firmly into the foreground. The trailer introduces the ghosts and the haunted world surrounding Scrooge while preserving the familiar A Christmas Carol framework.
There is also the expected Scrooge vocabulary.
Yes, the trailer gives Depp a chance to deliver the character’s famous “Bah, humbug!” attitude.
The bigger question is how far Ti West takes the darker side of the material.
West is known for films including X and Pearl, so his involvement naturally makes this version feel different from the warmer, more traditional adaptations audiences may know. Entertainment Weekly confirmed West as director when the project was first announced, while Paramount later described the film as a stylized reimagining.
Still, the trailer alone cannot tell us how frightening, funny, or emotionally heavy the finished movie will be. That part remains to be seen.
One Tagline Has Christmas Carol Fans Scratching Their Heads
Here’s where things get entertaining.
The movie’s marketing uses the tagline:“Before he was Scrooge, he was Ebenezer.”
Another line used in the promotion is:“The name you know, the story you don’t.”
The first tagline has attracted plenty of online attention because Ebenezer Scrooge is already the character’s full name.
Some viewers interpreted the wording as suggesting an origin story or even a prequel. Others simply found the phrasing confusing because Dickens’ character is known as Ebenezer Scrooge throughout the story. UPI reported both taglines, while online reactions highlighted the confusion surrounding the wording.
On Reddit, one discussion about the poster received thousands of reactions, with commenters debating whether the tagline accidentally made the film sound like a prequel.
The important distinction is this: the marketing may invite a prequel interpretation, but that does not mean the movie has officially been presented as a standalone Scrooge prequel.
Current official and studio descriptions call it a reimagining of A Christmas Carol.
Why This Version Could Feel Different
There have been countless versions of A Christmas Carol, from traditional dramas to musicals, comedies and family films.
Johnny Depp brings decades of experience playing highly stylized characters. Ti West brings a background in horror and psychological unease. Ian McKellen adds another heavyweight performance presence as Marley.
That combination could make the ghosts and Scrooge’s transformation feel less like a familiar Christmas routine and more like a supernatural character drama.
The trailer establishes the mood. The finished film will have to establish whether the darker approach actually adds something meaningful to Dickens’ redemption story.
Is the Movie a Prequel to a Christmas Carol?
Not officially, based on the current information available.The tagline: “Before he was Scrooge, he was Ebenezer”, certainly sounds like it is teasing an earlier chapter of the character’s life.
However, the movie is officially described as a reimagining of A Christmas Carol, and the released synopsis focuses on Scrooge confronting his past, present and future.
So it is better to describe Ebenezer as a new interpretation of the Dickens story rather than confidently calling it a prequel.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol come out?
The movie is scheduled to open in theaters on November 13, 2026.
Who plays Scrooge in the new movie?
Johnny Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge.
Who is directing Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol?
Ti West, known for X and Pearl, is directing the movie. Nathaniel Halpern wrote the screenplay.
Is Ebenezer a prequel to A Christmas Carol?
The marketing tagline can make it sound like one, but the movie is officially described as a reimagining of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, not definitively as a prequel.
What does the Ebenezer trailer show?
The trailer introduces Depp as Scrooge and emphasizes the story’s supernatural elements, including the ghosts and Scrooge’s confrontation with his past, present, and future.
The Ebenezer Scrooge movie has already found its hook. Johnny Depp is Scrooge. Ti West is directing. Ian McKellen is Marley. The ghosts are back. And the first trailer has made it clear that this Christmas Carol wants to look and feel different.
The tagline may have created more confusion than intended, but it has also done something useful for a movie arriving in a crowded holiday season. Now Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol has to prove that there is more to this version than a famous actor, a familiar story, and a very debatable tagline.
