Johnny Depp’s ‘Ebenezer’ Trailer Reveals a Haunted New Take on Scrooge

Johnny Depp appears as a severe and increasingly terrified Ebenezer Scrooge in the official trailer for Paramount’s Ebenezer, a supernatural revenge thriller that reworks Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The Hollywood Reporter said the film is set for release Nov. 13 and marks Depp’s return to a mainstream Hollywood production.

Directed by Ti West, the film pushes Dickens’ familiar story toward horror imagery. The Hollywood Reporter described Depp’s Scrooge as both haughty and haunted, first seen brusquely rejecting pleas for charity before three spirits pull him into a frightening supernatural world. The Indian Express also reported the arrival of the trailer and characterized the film as a spooky take on A Christmas Carol.

Key facts about Paramount’s ‘Ebenezer’

• The Hollywood Reporter said Ebenezer is a supernatural revenge thriller from Paramount.
• Johnny Depp stars as Ebenezer Scrooge in the adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella.
• Ti West directs from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
• The film is scheduled for a Nov. 13 release.
• The cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen and Rupert Grint.
• The Hollywood Reporter described the film as Depp’s first mainstream Hollywood job since 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

A Christmas Carol pushed into supernatural horror

The trailer retains the basic architecture of Scrooge’s encounter with spirits but presents that journey through a darker visual frame. The Hollywood Reporter said the footage shows zombie-like creatures looming ahead as Scrooge is drawn into the world of the apparitions. One spirit tells him, “You’re welcome to take your chances out there,” while Depp’s trembling Scrooge replies, “I’d rather not.”

That exchange captures the contrast at the center of the footage as described by The Hollywood Reporter. Depp initially presents Scrooge as brusque and imperious, turning away requests for charity, before the supernatural encounters reduce that certainty and leave him visibly frightened. The film’s approach places fear and threat alongside the moral journey associated with Dickens’ story.

The Indian Express likewise reported on the trailer and described Depp’s portrayal within a spooky version of A Christmas Carol. Both reports position the new film as an adaptation that emphasizes its ghost story elements rather than treating them as secondary decoration.

Who plays the ghosts and Scrooge’s circle

Actor	Role
Johnny Depp	Ebenezer Scrooge
Andrea Riseborough	Ghost of Christmas Past
Tramell Tillman	Ghost of Christmas Present
Ian McKellen	Jacob Marley
Rupert Grint	Bob Cratchit

The Hollywood Reporter said Riseborough plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, while Tillman appears as the Ghost of Christmas Present. McKellen takes the role of Scrooge’s business partner Jacob Marley, and Grint plays Bob Cratchit.

The ensemble also includes Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Charlie Murphy, Arthur Conti and Ellie Bamber, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Together, the cast places Depp’s Scrooge at the center of a broad company of performers as the film moves between his daily life and the supernatural forces confronting him.

Ti West directs Nathaniel Halpern’s adaptation

The Hollywood Reporter said West directs Ebenezer from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern. The script adapts Dickens’ novella, which was first published in 1843. The film therefore returns to the original literary framework while using the language of a supernatural revenge thriller for Paramount’s new version.

West’s presence behind the camera is central to how The Hollywood Reporter framed the trailer, which emphasizes frightening creatures, threatening environments and a Scrooge unsettled by what he encounters. Halpern’s screenplay serves as the bridge between Dickens’ source and the film’s horror-tinged treatment.

Depp’s return to a mainstream Hollywood production

The Hollywood Reporter described Ebenezer as Depp’s Hollywood comeback and his first mainstream Hollywood job since Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. The report placed the return in the context of the actor’s heated divorce trial with Amber Heard.

In the intervening period, The Hollywood Reporter said Depp shifted his attention toward international films. His more recent work included an appearance in the period piece Jeanne du Barry. Ebenezer now places him back at the center of a Paramount tentpole, with the Nov. 13 release built around one of literature’s most recognizable protagonists.

A Scrooge defined by arrogance and fear

The trailer’s presentation of Scrooge depends on a sharp shift in control. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the character begins from a position of haughty dismissal as he rejects appeals for charity. The arrival of three spirits overturns that posture, taking him into a supernatural space in which he becomes the frightened figure rather than the intimidating one.

The footage’s zombie-like creatures reinforce that reversal. The threat is not simply that Scrooge is being shown visions; it is that the world around those visions is presented as dangerous enough for a spirit to warn him about taking his chances outside. His quiet response signals how far his confidence has fallen.

How the trailer tracks Dickens’ structure

The Indian Express reported that the film retains the basic structure of the original story while giving it a spooky treatment, with the trailer following Scrooge as a wealthy but bitter man who values money above everything else. On Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, played by Ian McKellen, who warns him to change his ways or face a grim fate.

According to The Indian Express, Marley gives Scrooge one last chance at redemption before the three Ghosts of Christmas — Past, Present and Yet to Come — arrive to force him to confront his memories, reflect on his present behaviour and witness the future awaiting him. The outlet said the film charts that supernatural journey as Scrooge reconsiders the person he has become and the man he wants to be.

The Indian Express also reported that Sam Claflin appears as Fred alongside Rupert Grint’s Bob Cratchit, Andrea Riseborough’s Ghost of Christmas Past and Tramell Tillman’s Ghost of Christmas Present, and that the film reaches cinemas on November 13, 2026. Responses under the trailer were enthusiastic, with one viewer quoted by the outlet writing that the film “looks like it’s going for what Dickens intended” by making the story a frightening one.

With West directing, Halpern adapting Dickens and an ensemble that includes Riseborough, Tillman, McKellen and Grint, Paramount’s film places its emphasis on the darker mechanics of Scrooge’s reckoning. The Nov. 13 release will bring that horror-inflected interpretation to audiences with Depp leading the story.

Frequently asked questions

When is ‘Ebenezer’ being released?

The Hollywood Reporter said Paramount has set ‘Ebenezer’ for a Nov. 13 release. The film stars Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Who directs ‘Ebenezer’?

The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ti West directs the film. Nathaniel Halpern wrote the screenplay adapting Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella.

Who is in the cast with Johnny Depp?

The Hollywood Reporter said Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen and Rupert Grint have key roles. Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Charlie Murphy, Arthur Conti and Ellie Bamber also appear in the ensemble.

What kind of adaptation is ‘Ebenezer’?

The Hollywood Reporter described the Paramount film as a supernatural revenge thriller based on ‘A Christmas Carol.’ The Indian Express also characterized the trailer as presenting a spooky version of Dickens’ story.