The film marks Depp’s first work with a major American studio since his 2022 trial.

Johnny Depp appears at CinemaCon to debut first footage of his unrecognizable *Ebenezer *transformation

The film marks Depp's first work with a major American studio since his 2022 trial.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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April 16, 2026 3:06 p.m. ET

Johnny Depp in London on April 15, 2024. Credit:

Neil P. Mockford/Getty

Johnny Depp is back on screen and looking grosser than ever.

The *Pirates of the Caribbean* star appeared in person at CinemaCon on Thursday to introduce the first footage of his turn as Ebenezer Scrooge in *Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol*. The footage, which screened during Paramount's presentation in Las Vegas on Thursday, highlighted Depp's radical physical transformation to portray Charles Dickens' cranky Christmas-hating miser.

"Good evening," the actor said as he took the stage around 11:20 a.m. "It really has been an extraordinary privilege to step into a story I have been obsessed with since I was a little child."

Depp said that he was initially intimidated by the prospect of playing Scrooge because he has so much reverence for Alastair Sim's 1951 take on the character. "That's no reason not to attempt something," he said. "Because if you can find a way of going into this tale that's known for generations, but just finding different angles on your way into the character and with the film itself."

Johnny Depp in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 11, 2025.

Hoda Davaine/Getty

The film is directed by Ti West, the horror director behind movies like *X*, *Pearl*, and *The House of the Devil*.

During his remarks, the *Ed Wood* star added, "Ti did something really special, I was just sort of around for laughs."

In the footage, Depp's Scrooge has grimy mutton chops, greasy gray hair, and nasty teeth that are frequently exposed as he holds his face in a near-constant snarl. He wears a top hat and uses a cane.

In one early scene, a pair of men attempts to convince Scrooge to donate to a charity.

"What should we put you down for?" they ask

"Nothing," he responds.

"You wish to be left anonymous?" they shoot back.

"I wish to be left alone!" he exclaims.

He's later visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley (Ian McKellen), who warns, "You will be haunted by three spirits."

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One of those spirits is the ghost of Christmas past, portrayed by Andrea Riseborough. Another is played by *Severance* star Tramell Tillman. One scene shows Scrooge in a room full of bones.

Though West's horror bona fides ensure that there's a decent amount of spooky imagery throughout the trailer, Depp's performance still maintains a sense of comic mania similar to his other work — shrieking, yelping, and making goofy facial expressions as Scrooge is constantly surprised by the supernatural journey of the evening.

The trailer ends with Bob Cratchit (Rupert Grint) saying, "Merry Christm–" before Scrooge cuts him off.

"Don't you dare," he responds.

Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Charlie Murphy, Arthur Conti, and Ellie Bamber make up the film's supporting cast.

*Ebenezer* marks Depp's first film by a major American studio since his controversial legal battle with ex-wife and *Rum Diary* costar Amber Heard, which ended in 2022 after a jury found that Heard had defamed the *Alice in Wonderland *star in a 2018 *Washington Post* op-ed she wrote detailing her experiences as a domestic abuse survivor. After the *Aquaman* actress appealed the verdict, Depp and Heard agreed to settle the case later in 2022.

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*Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol* hits theaters on Nov. 13, 2026. For more on the biggest revelations from CinemaCon, read our recaps of day 1, day 2, and day 3 here.

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