It’s Christmas in July for Johnny Depp fans, because in Hollywood, every day is a holiday as long as there’s a franchise to be milked. The debut trailer for Depp’s upcoming holiday movie, Ebenezer, dropped last night, marking the actor’s return as a lead star in a big screen movie. Because what’s more exciting than a 68-year-old man playing a character that’s been portrayed by every other actor over 50 at some point in their careers?
The film, a dark adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved 1843 novel A Christmas Carol, is just one of dozens of film adaptations of the beloved holiday tale released over the decades. Because, clearly, the world was just missing a version with Johnny Depp in it. Depp plays classic literary character Ebenezer Scrooge, his first major studio lead role since he played Gellert Grindelwald in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. It’s good to be back, indeed, especially when you’ve got a proven track record of playing eccentric characters with a penchant for the dramatic.
The marketing for Ebenezer really hones in on Depp’s longstanding status as pop culture’s reigning off-beat, on-screen misfit. “He brought us Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and the Mad Hatter…” the trailer teases alongside clips of Scrooge toggling between miserly and mischievous. You know, the usual Depp fare. It’s a wonder the trailer didn’t also mention his iconic roles in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd, but perhaps that’s just being saved for the sequel.
The Cast and Crew
The film also stars Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit, Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley as Emily Cratchit, Sam Claflin as Fred, and Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley. It’s a veritable who’s who of actors who have appeared in at least one major franchise. Directed by Ti West (X, Pearl, The House of the Devil), Ebenezer promises to be a dark-fantasy, supernatural Christmas movie that will surely be a unique addition to the holiday canon. Or, at the very least, a unique addition to the canon of Christmas movies starring Johnny Depp.
The film’s release date, November 13, 2026, is sure to be a major event, if only because it will finally give audiences a chance to see Depp back on the big screen in a major studio film. And, of course, because it will give the studio a chance to make a tidy profit off of the holiday season. After all, what’s Christmas without a little bit of corporate synergy?
The Bigger Picture
As the entertainment industry continues to churn out remake after remake, sequel after sequel, it’s hard not to feel like we’re stuck in some kind of never-ending cycle of nostalgia. And what’s more nostalgic than A Christmas Carol? It’s a story that’s been told and retold, adapted and reimagined, to the point where it’s hard to remember what the original story even was. But hey, who needs originality when you’ve got Johnny Depp and a proven franchise? Somewhere, a focus group earned another bonus for suggesting that the key to success lies in combining the two.
In the end, Ebenezer is just another drop in the ocean of holiday movies that will be released this year. But hey, at least it’s got Johnny Depp, and that’s all that really matters, right? After all, as the great philosopher once said, “The name you know, the story you don’t.” Indeed, because who needs a good story when you’ve got a familiar face and a Marketing department that can declare history to be “made”? The Merchandising Department reportedly approved the decision before the writers did, because in Hollywood, that’s just how the sausage gets made. And so, another beloved franchise has successfully avoided the sweet release of death, at least for the time being. Joy to the world, indeed.
Finn McFrame, celebrated satirical mastermind and self-proclaimed “Emperor of Irony,” started his illustrious career as a cinematographer, where his expertise in capturing every single frame of a squirrel stealing a baguette earned him accolades at obscure film festivals.
Born in the glamorous town of Boring, Oregon, Finn grew up with dreams of being a Hollywood director until he realized that satire, not cinema, was his true calling—or at least the one that let him sleep until noon.
Finn McFrame: changing the world, one satirical lens flare at a time.
