How Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer Recasts A Christmas Carol as a Ghost Story for 13 November

Johnny Depp began the publicity campaign for Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol on Sunday, 1 November 2026, with a special screening at The Whitby Hotel in New York City. Yahoo Entertainment reported the event as the start of the film’s press tour.

Paramount Pictures is scheduled to release the film in US and UK theaters on 13 November. It is a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, directed by Ti West, with Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge.

The film has a large ensemble cast. JoBlo reports a PG-13 rating, and Wikipedia gives its budget as $38 million. Its cast has described it as a ghost story.

The New York screening that opened the press tour

Yahoo reported that the 1 November event at The Whitby Hotel was a special screening that kicked off the press tour. Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman and director Ti West also attended, Yahoo said. The outlet described Depp, 63, as back on the red carpet.

Wikipedia says the film premiered at the Whitby Hotel in New York City on 1 November. Yahoo calls the same event a special screening.

WSVN’s article dated 3 November quotes Depp, Riseborough and Tillman.

Key dates
Depp’s special screening was held in New York on 1 November 2026. Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is scheduled to open in theaters in the United States and United Kingdom on 13 November 2026.

What the film is, and who is in it

Wikipedia describes Ebenezer as a 2026 Gothic dark fantasy black comedy thriller. Ti West directs from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, adapted from Dickens’s novella. The story is set in early Victorian London.

Emma Watts produces through Wattsco, alongside IN .2 Film. Paramount presents the film in association with Domain Entertainment, according to Wikipedia’s production details.

Depp plays Scrooge. Arthur Conti plays the younger Scrooge. Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, and Sam Claflin plays Fred, Scrooge’s nephew.

Riseborough plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Tillman plays the Ghost of Christmas Present. Wikipedia lists Robert Strange as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Ian McKellen plays Jacob Marley.

Charlie Murphy and Henry Lloyd-Hughes are also in the cast. Yahoo lists Ellie Bamber as Isabel Fezziwig, while Wikipedia says the July 2026 trailer and publicity identified her as Belle.

Daisy Ridley is part of the ensemble. Yahoo and JoBlo list her as Emily Cratchit, while Wikipedia’s cast list names her role as Clara, Fred’s wife.

Why the cast calls it a ghost story

JoBlo says the film is being positioned as a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London. Scrooge travels through his past, present and future as he seeks a second chance.

Yahoo and Wikipedia both give the film’s tagline as “The name you know, the story you don’t.” Yahoo’s version of the logline opens with the line that Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge this November.

Riseborough told WSVN that adaptations of the story are often very true to the book. She also said it is called a ghost story.

Tillman called the film a great addition to the lineup of adaptations because it is something different. He said it has a lot of humanity and a lot of heart, along with a spooky element. In his words, it is a ghost story.

WSVN wrote that the film mixes Christmas magic with a little nightmare.

What Depp has said about playing Scrooge

In the WSVN article dated 3 November, Depp said he had been fascinated by Scrooge since boyhood.

He named Alastair Sim’s version of the story as a childhood favorite. In his words, he was “obsessed with the Alastair Sim’s version as a kid” and still is.

Depp said part of him felt nobody should touch the story. He still wanted to return to Dickens’s work and find a fresh approach.

He praised West’s sensibility and his understanding of the strange relationship between humor and fear.

WSVN also reported on the makeup work. Depp’s Scrooge makeup took three hours, and the Ghost of Christmas Past took six and a half hours.

Riseborough told WSVN that adaptations of the story are often very true to the book, and that it is called a ghost story.

How the production came together

Wikipedia says Paramount announced the project in October 2025. Depp was cast as Scrooge, and Riseborough joined in an initially undisclosed role.

Tillman and McKellen joined in November 2025, according to Wikipedia. McKellen said his work on the film lasted six days. Grint, Ridley, Claflin, Murphy, Conti and Bamber were added in December 2025.

Principal photography began in January 2026, with London and Dublin listed as production locations, per Wikipedia. Screen Global Production reported on 2 February that filming was under way in London for Paramount. The Wikipedia entry also lists location work at The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent.

Checco Varese is the director of photography. West and David Kashevaroff edited the film, and Tyler Bates composed the music, Wikipedia lists.

The executive producers include David Reid, Adam Bohling, Stephen Deuters, Jason Forman, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary and West himself.

Screen Global Production also noted that Warner Bros. is developing its own A Christmas Carol adaptation. It has director Robert Eggers and reportedly stars Willem Dafoe.

Marketing, rating and release details

Wikipedia says Depp showed the first footage at Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation on 16 April 2026. A teaser poster and official trailer followed on 23 July, and Depp made a surprise in-costume appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.

Wikipedia notes that Stuart Heritage of The Guardian criticized the campaign for framing the film as a Hollywood comeback for Depp. Yahoo described the release as the first major wide release of a Depp film since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.

The Motion Picture Association rated the film PG-13 for “frightening material,” JoBlo reported. JoBlo added that West does not seem to have gone especially dark, though some moments may be creepy. West’s earlier films include X, Pearl and MaXXXine. Wikipedia lists a BBFC rating of 12A.

Wikipedia lists a running time of 116 minutes and a budget of $38 million. Its release schedule has Australia and Brazil opening on 12 November, and the United Kingdom and United States on 13 November.

Paramount Pictures is distributing the film.