Johnny Depp Returns to Hollywood as Scrooge in Ti West's 'Ebenezer'
Johnny Depp is back in a major Hollywood movie, starring as Ebenezer Scrooge in "Ebenezer," director Ti West's dark new take on Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol." The Paramount film opens in theaters Friday, Nov. 13, after a global premiere in London.
It marks Depp's first major Hollywood film in eight years, since 2018's "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald."
Depp on His Hollywood Return
At the film's premiere on Monday, Nov. 9, at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, The Associated Press asked Depp how it felt to return to Hollywood films.
"The difference is this: There was a bit of a vacation," he said, adding, "Which is fine," according to ABC News.
Depp has kept busy outside of big studio films. In 2023, he starred in the French film "Jeanne du Barry," which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. He also recently joined Aerosmith onstage at the Hollywood Bowl.
A Darker 'Christmas Carol'
The film is based on Dickens' 1843 novella and is being released by Paramount with Domain Entertainment. "Ebenezer" follows "the deliciously unpleasant Ebenezer Scrooge" as he faces his past, present and future on Christmas Eve during a supernatural journey that will decide his fate.
West, known for horror films including "X," "Pearl" and "MaXXXine," directs from a script by Nathaniel Halpern. The film is pitched as a gothic ghost story set in Dickens' London, with darker, horror-style visuals while keeping the story's emotional core, Fiction Horizon reported.
When Paramount showed first footage at CinemaCon earlier this year, Depp appeared under prosthetics as an elderly Scrooge, shouting "Bah, humbug!" before being visited by three ghosts. Depp said West "really did something very special" with the film, Dread Central reported. In the footage, McKellen's character warns Scrooge about the ghosts, and one attendee described a scene that pays homage to "A Nightmare on Elm Street," with Scrooge being pulled into a mattress.
A Star-Studded Cast
Depp is joined by a large ensemble cast that includes Ian McKellen, Andrea Riseborough, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Charlie Murphy.
Rupert Grint, who recently returned as Ron Weasley on Broadway, also appears in the film. Reports on the film have not specified the roles of most of the supporting cast.
What Early Critics Are Saying
Early reactions from critics who attended press screenings have been mostly positive, though not unanimous.
Critic Tom Chatalbash called Depp "a fiendish delight as Scrooge," while Scott Menzel called it "another iconic performance" and praised the film's cinematography, costumes and production design. Critic Andre Saint-Albin called it a dark, moving retelling, and U.K. critic Phil Roberts said the finale carries more emotional weight than earlier versions.
Others were more mixed. One reviewer said the story covers "incredibly well worn territory," and critic Lewis Powell called the film chaotic and badly misjudged overall. Critic Nick Spake liked several elements but felt Depp's performance did not work. Full reviews are expected once the review embargo lifts Thursday, Nov. 12.
Moving On From a Public Legal Battle
The film arrives several years after Depp's highly publicized defamation case against his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp sued Heard in 2019 over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed she wrote.
A Virginia jury mostly sided with Depp, awarding him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. The jury also awarded Heard $2 million in compensatory damages. The two settled in December 2022.
Depp already has his next project lined up. He will star in "Day Drinker," a thriller directed by Marc Webb and co-starring Madelyn Cline and Penélope Cruz, which is scheduled to hit theaters in March 2027.
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