Watch the Official Trailer
Paramount Pictures has released the first official trailer for “Ebenezer,” Ti West’s dark reimagining of “A Christmas Carol,” after Johnny Depp introduced the footage himself in character at San Diego Comic-Con. The trailer leans into a horror-tinged tone from its opening frames, and gives the clearest look yet at Depp’s take on Ebenezer Scrooge ahead of the film’s November 13 release.
Beat-by-Beat: What’s Actually in the Trailer
The trailer opens by flashing through a quick run of Depp’s own most iconic past roles — glimpses evoking Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and the Mad Hatter — before settling on his newest transformation: a balding, scowling Ebenezer Scrooge. It’s a clear wink at Depp’s own career before the film asks audiences to accept him in an entirely new getup.
From there, Scrooge is shown delivering the line “It’s good to be back” directly to camera, followed shortly after by a growled “Bah! Humbug!” — the character’s signature line of contempt for Christmas, delivered with a sneer rather than mere crankiness.
A street-level sequence follows, showing Scrooge spreading misery through snow-covered streets by throwing snowballs at the heads of unsuspecting passersby — a small, mean-spirited visual gag that sets the tone for how this version of the character treats the people around him.
The trailer then shifts into its horror register: Ian McKellen appears as the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s late business partner, and Andrea Riseborough appears as the Ghost of Christmas Past, both rendered as pale, unsettling spectral figures rather than the gentler apparitions of past adaptations. One sequence shows Scrooge sinking into his own bed, staged as what one outlet described as a “considerably milder version” of a scene from Depp’s real 1984 film debut — a deliberate horror-genre callback given director Ti West’s own background in the genre.
Stylized blood-red title cards punctuate the footage throughout, reinforcing the trailer’s horror-adjacent branding rather than positioning the film as a straightforward family Christmas movie.
What This Take on A Christmas Carol Will Actually Be
Directed by Ti West from a screenplay by Nathaniel Halpern, “Ebenezer” will reimagine Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella as a darker, supernatural take on the familiar story, with West’s horror-filmmaking background shaping the tone of Scrooge’s night of hauntings. The film will follow the same basic shape as the original text — a miserly old man confronted by the ghosts of his past, present, and future — while filtering that structure through visuals closer to a horror film than a traditional holiday adaptation.
Who Else Will Appear
Beyond Depp, McKellen, and Riseborough, the film’s cast will include Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit, Sam Claflin as Fred, Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Daisy Ridley as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, alongside Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, and Charlie Murphy in supporting roles. None of those additional ghosts appear in this first trailer, which keeps its focus tightly on Scrooge, Marley, and the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Why the Comic-Con Reveal Mattered
Depp reportedly crashed the panel in full Scrooge costume to introduce the footage himself, rather than the trailer simply premiering online without any accompanying event. That kind of in-person, in-character reveal is a deliberate marketing choice for a film built around a single star’s transformation — it gives fans and press a live moment to react to before the trailer even hits YouTube, generating a second wave of coverage once the video itself goes public.
It also doubles as a statement of intent for Depp himself: this is described as one of his first major studio roles in the wake of his high-profile 2022 defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, a period that reshaped how his career and public image have been discussed since. Choosing to reappear on a studio’s biggest stage, in full costume, rather than easing back in quietly, reads as a deliberate approach to that return.
What to Expect Going Forward
With a November 13 release date and a first trailer now public, expect a fuller marketing rollout in the coming months — a poster already dropped this week alongside the trailer news, and additional footage, character posters, or a second trailer would be a typical next step as the holiday release window approaches. Given Ti West’s horror pedigree, expect the marketing to keep leaning into the film’s darker visual identity rather than softening it for a more traditional family-holiday audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Ebenezer release?
Paramount will release “Ebenezer” in theaters on November 13, 2026.
Who plays Scrooge in Ebenezer?
Johnny Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge, marking one of his first major studio roles in this new phase of his career.
Is Ebenezer a horror movie?
It’s being marketed as a darker, horror-tinged reimagining of “A Christmas Carol” from director Ti West, known for his horror filmmaking background, though it will still follow the basic structure of Dickens’ original story.
For more of this year’s biggest trailer drops, check out our breakdowns of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s final trailer.
{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”When does Ebenezer release?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Paramount will release “Ebenezer” in theaters on November 13, 2026.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Who plays Scrooge in Ebenezer?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Johnny Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge, marking one of his first major studio roles in this new phase of his career.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Is Ebenezer a horror movie?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”It’s being marketed as a darker, horror-tinged reimagining of “A Christmas Carol” from director Ti West, known for his horror filmmaking background, though it will still follow the basic structure of Dickens’ original story.”}}]}
