Johnny Depp returns to Hollywood as Scrooge in Ti West's Ebenezer premiere

Premiere in London

Johnny Depp, 63, attended the London premiere of Ebenezer on Monday evening, 9 November, at Leicester Square. The film is Ti West's new cinematic version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with Depp in the title role as Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman visited by spirits on Christmas Eve. Rupert Grint plays Bob Cratchit, Daisy Ridley plays Clara and Ian McKellen plays Jacob Marley. Paramount Pictures has given the film a robust marketing push on a budget of nearly $40m. Asked about the crowd's support at the premiere, Depp said he could not put his feelings into words, and then added:

“These are the people who've supported me through thick and thin and I owe them, I owe them.”

First reactions

Early opinions surfaced on X after press screenings in London and New York. Critics praised Depp's performance and the gothic, horror-tinged mood that Ti West, known for the X trilogy, Pearl and MaXXXine, brings to Dickens. Some early responses called the film unnecessary and argued that its real subject is Depp's return to Hollywood. Full reviews are expected after an embargo that reportedly lifts on 12 November, a day before the film's cinema release. The Independent described the early reactions as skewing positively while noting uncertainty about Depp's commercial viability. Depp has said that Alastair Sim's 1951 performance remains the definitive screen Scrooge, and that he tried to find a different angle on the character rather than surpass it.

Legal battle with Amber Heard

Depp sued Heard for defamation in 2019 over a 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she wrote about domestic violence, and he maintains that the abuse allegations are false. Heard, who was married to Depp from 2015 to 2017, filed a countersuit alleging that his lawsuit continued a pattern of abuse and harassment and was part of a smear campaign. The case went to court in 2022, when a jury found Heard liable on all three defamation counts and awarded Depp more than $10m. The jury also found that Depp's lawyer had defamed Heard, and it held Depp liable on one count of her countersuit and awarded her $2m. Both sides settled in December 2022, and Depp's representatives said the deal included a $1m payment from Heard that he was to donate to charity.

Pirates of the Caribbean and next steps

Depp previously said Disney had dropped him from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and vowed never to return. He has since suggested he might reconsider if the story gives the series a fitting ending. Telling Entertainment Tonight about that condition, he said:

“The only involvement I really want to have, truly, is just to send them off on a better note.”

Jerry Bruckheimer confirmed in August 2026 that he was in talks with Depp about a sixth Pirates film, with screenwriter Ted Elliott also involved. Depp said he would be willing to work again with Bruckheimer, whom he described as a close friend he trusts. Orlando Bloom, who played Will Turner in the original trilogy, said he stays in touch with Depp and appreciates him. Depp joked to People magazine about a beard-growing contest with Bloom, since neither of them can grow a beard.