Johnny Depp is returning to Hollywood in a major way. The first trailer for Ebenezer, his first big studio film since his high-profile legal battle with former wife Amber Heard, has been released by Paramount Pictures.
Directed by filmmaker Ti West, Ebenezer is a dark retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Depp plays the iconic Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter and lonely man who is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas.
The trailer shows Depp’s Scrooge being confronted by terrifying spirits who force him to relive moments from his past. When he is not being haunted, he is seen wandering through snow-covered streets, lashing out at people around him, including throwing snowballs at passers-by. As he says, “It’s good to be back,” the line feels like a fitting nod to Depp’s own return to major Hollywood cinema.
The film marks Depp’s first major Hollywood release since his widely publicised defamation trial with Amber Heard in 2022. During the trial, both Depp and Heard accused each other of domestic abuse. The jury found that both had made defamatory statements against each other. Depp was awarded 10 million dollars in compensatory damages and 5 million dollars in punitive damages, while Heard received 2 million dollars in compensatory damages.
Following the controversy, Depp stepped away from major Hollywood productions. He was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In recent years, he has appeared in international films such as Minamata and Jeanne du Barry, and also directed Mod, Three Days on the Wing of Madness.
Depp surprised fans at San Diego Comic-Con with an appearance in full costume as Ebenezer Scrooge. After making an unexpected appearance outside the convention centre, Depp later joined the Directors on Directing panel, creating one of the event’s most talked-about moments.
Alongside Ebenezer, Depp is also set to return to the big screen in the upcoming action thriller Day Drinker, co-starring Penlope Cruz and Madelyn Cline.
Ebenezer also stars Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley.
Speaking earlier about the project, director Ti West said his early exposure to adaptations of A Christmas Carol helped shape his love for horror, making the story a natural fit for his style of filmmaking.
Ebenezer is scheduled to release in cinemas on November 13.
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