Johnny Depp in Talks for ‘Christmas Carol’ Movie As Scrooge

Will he be seeing ghosts?
Photo: Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Images

Well, if he’s anything like the miserable character he’s rumored to be playing, it might take a second to close this deal. Deadline and Variety report that Johnny Depp is in final negotiations to “Bah, humbug” as Ebenezer Scrooge in horror filmmaker Ti West’s upcoming Charles Dickens adaptation, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol. West will direct from a script written by Tales From the Loop creator Nathaniel Halpern, and Andrea Riseborough is set to co-star. If these talks are successful, Paramount Pictures is reportedly angling to secure a November 13, 2026, release date.

Depp’s film roles dried up in 2018 after a judge ruled that, following his ex-wife Amber Heard’s allegations of domestic abuse, The Sun‘s description of him as a “wife beater” was “substantially true.” In a separate 2022 trial, which Depp ultimately won, both he and Heard were found to have defamed each other. While he hasn’t been in a film from a major studio yet, Depp has been making a slow return to acting. (Regardless of whether A Christmas Carol becomes a part of his “comeback” story, he has already wrapped production alongside Penélope Cruz on Lionsgate’s thriller Day Drinker, expected in 2026.)

One factor that Depp might want to consider is the Christmas-movie-industrial complex. Sure, there’s always broader holiday competition à la Hot Frosty. But back in June, news broke that Robert Eggers is working on his own take on A Christmas Carol — and reportedly has an actor attached to lead the film as Ebenezer. Depp’s agents will just have to decide whether to view the competition as a friend or a (Da)foe.