Johnny Depp Is Scrooge in First Ebenezer Trailer

Johnny Depp pulls on the coat of Ebenezer Scrooge in the first full trailer for Ebenezer, released by Paramount on 1 October ahead of a 13 November release, according to Deadline. The film is directed by Ti West. It brings a new screen version of the Charles Dickens miser back to cinemas for the run-up to Christmas.

Depp introduced the footage himself at Collider's Directors on Directing panel in Hall H at Comic-Con, Deadline reported. Hall H is the convention's largest auditorium, seating thousands of fans. Studios often use it to launch a trailer, a two to three minute preview cut to sell the film to audiences.

The script comes from Nathaniel Halpern, who adapted the Dickens classic for the screen, Deadline reported. Paramount Pictures bills the project with the tagline "The name you know, the story you don't," according to Paramount Pictures. The wording points to a look at Scrooge's earlier life rather than a straight retelling of A Christmas Carol.

Depp stars as Scrooge. The ensemble around him includes Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley, Deadline reported. Andrea Riseborough is also listed among the cast by Paramount Pictures. No character details have been confirmed beyond the central role.

The part is Depp's first major film since his high-profile defamation trial involving Amber Heard, according to Variety. That case closed in 2022. His screen work since has drawn close attention from press and fans.

What makes this stand out is the match of material and film-maker. West built his name in horror. Dickens is familiar family territory. For fans, this means a short wait. The trailer is now public and the film is dated for November.

Mid-November is prime shelf space for family titles. It lands before the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, when schools break and cinemas fill. Paramount has now planted its flag there.