Paramount has unveiled the first trailer for Ebenezer, a reimagining of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol that casts Johnny Depp as literature's most famous miser and hands the directing reins to horror specialist Ti West. The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 11, 2026, positioning it as an early entry in the holiday corridor rather than a traditional December release.
The trailer, which landed online this week, leans into the grim, candlelit atmosphere that has become West's signature across films like The House of the Devil and Pearl. Depp's Scrooge appears gaunt and hollowed out, less the blustering curmudgeon of familiar adaptations than a man genuinely haunted by something older and colder. The footage reportedly emphasizes the supernatural machinery of Dickens' novella - the chains, the apparitions, the midnight visits - while keeping flashes of the story's sardonic humor intact.
A Dickens Tale Through a Horror Lens
Paramount is marketing Ebenezer as a fantasy-comedy, but the trailer's tone suggests a darker interpretation than audiences might expect from that genre label. West has spent his career exploring slow-burn dread and period-specific terror, and the Victorian London of Dickens' source material offers fertile ground for that sensibility. The ghost of Jacob Marley, played here by Ian McKellen, appears in the preview as a spectral figure weighted down by the chains he forged in life - imagery that West seems to render with an emphasis on physical decay rather than Victorian sentimentality.
The official synopsis describes an elderly miser who is forced onto a supernatural journey after visits from his deceased business partner and the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. What follows, per the studio's description, is a confrontation with his own history and a fight for a second chance at happiness. That framework stays faithful to Dickens even as the execution appears to drift toward gothic horror.
A Deep and Unusual Ensemble
The casting around Depp is eclectic. Rupert Grint, best known for the Harry Potter series, takes on the role of Bob Cratchit - the put-upon clerk whose family sits at the emotional center of the story. Andrea Riseborough plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, while Tramell Tillman, recently acclaimed for his work on Severance, embodies the Ghost of Christmas Present. Sam Claflin appears as Fred, Scrooge's nephew, and Daisy Ridley plays Emily Cratchit. Charlie Murphy rounds out the announced cast in an unspecified role.
For Depp, the part represents another entry in a career increasingly defined by outsized, theatrical characters. Scrooge is among the most performed roles in English-language storytelling, and the actor's interpretation will inevitably be measured against a long lineage of screen misers, from Alastair Sim to Michael Caine to Jim Carrey's motion-captured turn. The trailer suggests Depp is playing the character's cruelty and his terror at roughly equal volume.
West's involvement is perhaps the most intriguing variable. The director built his reputation on micro-budget genre films before graduating to larger productions, and Ebenezer marks one of his most commercially visible projects to date. Whether his austere, dread-soaked approach can coexist with the redemptive warmth that makes A Christmas Carol a perennial favorite is the central question the marketing will need to answer over the coming weeks.
A Crowded Holiday Frame
The November 11 release date places Ebenezer well ahead of the Thanksgiving and Christmas windows, when family films typically dominate. That timing could work in its favor by giving the movie a long runway, or it could signal that Paramount sees the film as a darker counterprogramming option rather than a four-quadrant holiday tentpole. The studio has not disclosed a runtime, and early audience metrics remain sparse - TMDb currently lists no aggregate rating for the title, as is typical for a film still months from release.
Genre-blending takes on Dickens are not new. The novella has been adapted into musicals, animated features, modern-day retellings, and at least one Muppet classic. What distinguishes Ebenezer on paper is the pedigree of its director and the willingness to foreground the story's ghostly, genuinely frightening elements rather than sanding them down for younger viewers. Dickens himself described the spirits as terrifying, and West appears to be taking that description literally.
With roughly six weeks until release, Paramount is expected to roll out additional footage and character posters. For now, the first trailer establishes the film's mood: fog, frost, and a man who has spent a lifetime refusing to change, about to be dragged through the night by forces he cannot bargain with. Whether audiences embrace a Scrooge built for horror fans remains to be seen, but the trailer makes one thing clear - this is not the warm, carol-singing version of the story.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
