Johnny Depp is heading into the festive season as Ebenezer Scrooge, with Paramount Pictures releasing the first trailer for Ti West’s darker new adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
“It’s good to be back,” Depp declares in the opening footage, appearing almost unrecognisable beneath a balding head, heavy make-up and Scrooge’s familiar miserable expression. The line may belong to the character, but Paramount also appears to be having some fun with Depp’s return to a major studio leading role.
The trailer introduces Scrooge as the same cold-hearted miser audiences will recognise from Charles Dickens’s story, complete with flying snowballs, a sharp “Humbug” and very little patience for the people around him. However, the footage places far greater emphasis on the supernatural horror of his Christmas Eve journey, as the spirits arrive to torment him and force him to confront the life he has built.
Ti West directs following his work on X, Pearl and MaXXXine, and his horror background can already be felt in the unsettling designs and shadowy atmosphere surrounding the ghosts. West previously explained that adaptations of A Christmas Carol were among his earliest introductions to horror, making the Dickens story a fitting choice for his next major film.
The supporting cast includes Andrea Riseborough, Tramell Tillman, Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley and Sam Claflin. The first footage offers brief glimpses of several of them, although Paramount is keeping many details about their characters and this version of the familiar story under wraps for now.
There have been countless adaptations of A Christmas Carol over the years, from traditional dramas and animated versions to the much-loved Muppet retelling, but West’s involvement brings an interesting new direction. Rather than presenting the story as straightforward family entertainment, the trailer embraces the fear, regret and supernatural punishment at the centre of Scrooge’s transformation.
For CultureCues, another adaptation of A Christmas Carol may not sound particularly surprising, but the combination of Depp, West and such a strong supporting cast has our attention. The darker horror approach suits the original ghost story, the spirits already look genuinely unnerving and Depp appears to be enjoying every snarled word as Scrooge. We will find out this November whether it is a festive treat or, as Ebenezer might put it, pure humbug.
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol arrives in UK cinemas on 13 November 2026.
CultureCues Editorial is the house byline for short-form entertainment news, trailer updates, release announcements and industry coverage. All CultureCues content is overseen by founder and editor Nikki Murray.