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Johnny Depp’s work in Tim Burton movies is legendary, as is his tenure as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription). But in recent years the acclaimed character actor has become synonymous with his relationship with Amber Heard, and their messy divorce proceedings. Since then he’s largely stepped away from the limelight, but his Hollywood returning is coming as the title character of Ti West’s Ebenezer. And the filmmaker recently gushed about what Depp brought to the table as Scrooge.
While Johnny Depp acted in Jeanne du Barry, Ebenezer is a much higher profile project that will bring him back to the big screen in The States. During an interview with EW, West went above and beyond praising the 63 year-old actor, offering:
He’s the movie, really. The Dickensian dialogue has a certain musicality to it, and I just think Johnny has that cadence and that musicality to the way that he performs. And I thought, ‘I don’t know if he’d ever want to do it.’ And so we sent it over and he also coincidentally happened to be obsessed with it his whole life.
Honestly, I see this point. On top of being an actor, Johnny Depp is an accomplished musician who toured recently with his late friend Jeff Beck. He also showed his musical talents in the movie version of Sweeney Todd, where he played the title character. And it seems he used those skills to bring Ebenezer’s dialogue to life.
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It sounds like we’re going to get a pretty accurate book to screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol, at least where the dialogue is concerned. West went on to share how Depp crushed this part of the gig, saying:
The musicality is what is in the performance. And he brings a different thing to it than anyone else has done. It’s uniquely him, but it’s also very reverent of the text. He has a way of hitting all of the classic Scrooge moments that make him an unlikable guy, but there’s a certain sense of humor and charm to it as well. In other adaptations, Scrooge is kind of an asshole, and then the rest of the characters are benevolent, perfect people. And it was really our goal to try to balance that out to say that there’s much more of a gray area in the story. We want to give Scrooge logic and a good argument, so when he is making an argument about something, he’s not wrong.
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that Johnny Depp brought something original to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, especially considering how he put his spin on wild characters like Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, and Willy Wonka.
On the flip side, Ti West also teased that audiences might get a deeper understanding of Scrooge’s psyche in his new movie, especially when compared to other Christmas Carol movies. In his words:
As his Scrooge cuts someone down verbally or as he makes a financial point or withdraws, you do understand why he’s doing it. You kind of agree with him even though you shouldn’t. That’s, I think, what makes this special. You find yourself liking a character that you’re not supposed to on paper, which then brings you as the audience into the movie more because you’re experiencing the movie subjectively as he is, rather than just seeing it as a play.
Well, I’m intrigued. Only time will tell if Ebenezer becomes one of the best Christmas movies of all time, but tales of the actor’s performance have helped to buoy excitement until it hits theaters this November. That and Depp showing up as Scrooge at Comic-Con. Talk about immersive marketing.
Only time will tell how this movie performs, and if it helps to separate Depp from the Amber Heard verdict and circus of that trial. But it certainly sounds like he’s going to bring a strong performance to the table with the upcoming take on A Christmas Carol.
All will be revealed when Ebenezer hits theaters on November 13th as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully a full trailer for Johnny Depp’s Hollywood return soon.