Johnny Depp cast as iconic British literary role in all-new adaptation of much-loved Christmas classic
Ti West has been signed on to helm the project.
Johnny Depp has reportedly been tapped to play Ebenezer Scrooge in a new big-screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
The 62-year-old actor is set to tackle the role in a new take on the Charles Dickens story, which is titled Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, for Paramount Plus, according to Deadline.
Horror movie director Ti West (Peal, Maxxxine) has been signed on to helm the project, which has been described as “a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens's London, follows one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present and future and fight for a second chance".
Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion, Mandy) is also set to co-star.
The publication reports that the film is yet to be fully signed off by Paramount Plus, but is in the final stage of negotiations and, if it goes ahead, would come out on 13th November 2026.
It’s the second adaptation based on the Dickens classic that has been announced this year, with Willem Dafoe set to play Scrooge in another film for Warner Bros, being helmed by Nosferatu director Robert Eggers.
If Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol does materialise, it will mark Depp’s biggest role in years, following his defamation lawsuit victory in 2022.
Since then, the actor has started getting back into the limelight, returning to the big screen in the 2023 French language film Jeanne du Barry.
He’s also set to star alongside Penélope Cruz in Lionsgate’s American action thriller Day Drinker, which is due to be released in 2026.
Pirates of the Caribbean producer Jerry Bruckheimer recently suggested there's a possibility that Depp could reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in a sixth entry in the franchise.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Bruckheimer said: "If he likes the way the part’s written, I think he would do it," he said. "It’s all about what’s on the page, as we all know...
"We are still working on a screenplay. We want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but we’re close.”
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
