Ti West steps into uncharted territory with his upcoming adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” West has made an entire career out of telling horror stories, most notably his “X” trilogy, which also includes “Pearl” and “MaXXXine,” as well as “The House of the Devil” and “The Innkeepers.” Previously, he merely dabbled in Christmas-themed work with his 2008 short film “Christmas Decay.”
Johnny Depp plays the titular character in West’s “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol.” The cast also includes Rupert Grint (as Bob Cratchit), Andrea Riseborough (as the Ghost of Christmas Past), Tramell Tillman (as the Ghost of Christmas Present), Ian McKellen (as Jacob Marley) and Daisy Ridley (as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come).
“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” is billed as a dark fantasy, but given West’s track record, there are bound to be some horror elements sprinkled throughout his adaptation. To prime fans for the film, we have our first look at Johnny Depp.
Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge
On July 23, 2026, Paramount Pictures released the first look image of Johnny Depp as the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge. “The name you know. The story you don’t,” the distribution company captioned a teaser on Instagram. Depp can be seen from the eyes up, wearing a tall brimmed hat with snow falling around him.
Depp also took to Instagram to share the news after completely wiping his profile. He then added three posts, which come together to read as, “Bah-Hum-Bug.” He then changed out his bio to read: “Before he was Scrooge, he was Ebenezer.”
“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” follows Depp’s 2024 film “Modì, Three Days on the Wing of Madness,” which he directed and produced. His most recent acting roles include “Johnny Puff: Secret Mission” (2024), “Jeanne du Barry” (2023) and “Minamata” (2020).
‘Ebenezer’ Homages ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
As diehard Depp fans likely know, the actor got his start as Glen in Wes Craven’s 1984 supernatural slasher “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) famously sucked Depp’s character into a mattress, and it looks like “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” will pay tribute to this cinematic moment. “There’s even an homage to Nightmare on Elm Street with Scrooge being pulled into a mattress,” film critic Hunter Bolding revealed from Cinema Con in April this year.
With a deep love for slasher films, there’s no doubt West will bring a sense of reverence to the iconic Freddy moment. Considering “Ebenezer” is a ghost story at heart, the filmmaker is likely to have a few tricks up his sleeve to bring a real sense of horror in meticulously crafted ways.
Ti West’s film joins a very long legacy of film and television adaptations of the classic Dickens tale. Most notable versions and derivative works include the very popular “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” “Scrooged” with Bill Murray, “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” “Surviving Christmas” and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” starring Matthew McConaughey.
“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” releases in theaters on November 13, 2026, via Paramount Pictures.
