Johnny Depp steps into the oversized boots of Scrooge in Ti West’s “Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” retelling. Surprisingly, the Captain Jack Sparrow actor hasn’t played the legendary role before, considering his work as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s 2005 live-action “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and as Mad Hatter in Burton’s 2010 adaptation “Alice in Wonderland.”
After Depp surprised fans at Comic Con on Thursday (July 23) in full Scrooge makeup and costume, we now have the first official trailer for the film. In true Depp fashion, he imbues the stoic curmudgeonly miser with a bit of boisterous humor, from throwing snowballs at passersby to delivering the iconic “humbug” line with sheepish attitude.
Depp Once Again Sucked Into a Mattress
Johnny Depp got his acting start as Glen in Wes Craven’s 1984 supernatural slasher “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” starring alongside Robert Englund as the villainous sleep demon Freddy Krueger. In one of the film’s most iconic moments, Glen falls asleep in his bed while listening to records and watching Miss Nude America on his television set.
He’s supposed to meet his girlfriend Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) on her front porch to help defeat Freddy, but fate has other plans for him. The moment Glen’s eyes flutter closed, Freddy’s razor-gloved hand comes clawing out of the mattress and pulls him inside before unleashing a blender of blood onto the ceiling.
“Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol” pays homage to this moment. “Let go of me, please,” Ebenezer screeches, as his hands thrash around inside the canopy bed. His body quickly disappears inside the mattress, much like it did 42 years ago.
Ti West is best known as a strictly horror director. His directorial work includes “The House of the Devil,” “The Innkeepers,” the “Second Honeymoon” segment in 2012’s “V/H/S,” “The Sacrament” and his highly popular “X” trilogy starring Mia Goth. He also had a bit role in Adam Wingard’s home invasion slasher “You’re Next” as the hippie indie filmmaker Tariq. The “A Nightmare on Elm Street” nod makes perfect sense.
Robert Eggers is Also Adapting the Scrooge Tale
Ti West has his work cut out for him. Robert Eggers (“Nosferatu,” “The Witch,” “The Lighthouse”) is currently in pre-production on his own take of the classic Scrooge story for Warner Bros. Long-time collaborator Willem Dafoe is in the running to play the iconic role of Ebenezer, according to Deadline in 2025. A source states that “Eggers is writing the role” specifically for Dafoe.
Next up, Eggers will release the Gothic monster tale “Werwulf,” starring Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Lily-Rose Depp. The film, set in the 13th Century and spoken entirely in Middle English, hits theaters on Christmas Day 2026 by Focus Features and Universal Pictures in the U.K.
West’s and Eggers’ “A Christmas Carol” adaptations join a long list of TV and film retellings of the Charles Dickens story. Some of the most beloved versions include “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” “Scrooged” starring Billy Murray and the 1970s “Scrooge” with Albert Finney as the titular character.
