The official trailer has arrived for Ebenezer, and Johnny Depp has dragged his version of Scrooge straight from Dickensian London into Comic-Con’s Hall H. Directed by Ti West, the film turns A Christmas Carol into a grimy, gothic and darkly funny supernatural reckoning, with Depp’s miserable miser hurling snowballs, insults and more than one perfectly loaded “Humbug”. Watch the trailer above and read on for what to know.
Johnny Depp’s Scrooge Is Having a Miserable Christmas
West, the filmmaker behind X, Pearl and MaXXXine, is not treating the spirits as cosy seasonal decorations. The trailer introduces Depp as the latest addition to his long line of cinematic misfits before Scrooge looks directly into the camera and declares, “It’s good to be back.” The line is doing more than one job, and the trailer knows it.
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This Ebenezer Scrooge appears to be enjoying his cruelty. He fires snowballs at unsuspecting pedestrians, clashes with his long-suffering employee Bob Cratchit (Rupert Grint) and responds to his nephew Fred’s cheerful holiday wishes with a furious “Humbug”.
The fun stops when the dead begin dropping by. Scrooge is confronted by Marley (Ian McKellen) and the spirits of Christmas, forcing him through the past, present and future he has spent years trying to bury. His bed sinks beneath him, shadows move through candlelit rooms and Christmas Eve quickly becomes one long supernatural punishment.
The well-worn tale is getting a strikingly different treatment from West. It marks a clear change of pace for the filmmaker, and the pairing could work well with a stronger lean into the horror embedded in Charles Dickens’ story. There is still plenty of humour, most of it coming from Depp’s muttering, theatrical performance, but this looks far removed from a warm-and-fuzzy version of A Christmas Carol.
Scrooge Crashed Comic-Con to Introduce the Trailer
Depp turned the trailer launch into a performance of its own, arriving at San Diego Comic-Con completely in character as Scrooge.
He hobbled onto the Hall H stage carrying a candle, grumbled that he was “speaking into the candle” and looked out at the packed room before asking, “Have you no lives? No responsibilities?”
It was an appropriately hostile greeting from one of literature’s most famous enemies of fun, with Depp remaining buried beneath the hat, sideburns, heavy coat and irritable mumbling as he introduced the footage.
Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance at #ComicCon as Ebenezer Scrooge, riffing with fans and acting out scenes from the upcoming movie. https://t.co/djBmgUuXWS pic.twitter.com/DtoSBOkvfn
— Variety (@Variety) July 23, 2026
Who Else Is in Ebenezer?
Grint plays Bob Cratchit, with Andrea Riseborough appearing as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Sam Claflin as Fred, Daisy Ridley as Emily Cratchit and McKellen as Marley.
The ensemble also includes Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy and Tramell Tillman.
Ebenezer was written by Nathaniel Halpern, best known for television work including Legion and Tales from the Loop. The film is produced by Emma Watts, with West also serving as an executive producer.
Release Date
Ebenezer opens in Australian cinemas on November 12 and U.S. cinemas on November 13.
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