Christmas, at least at the movies, is about to become a lot less reassuring. On 13 November 2026, Scrooge e gli spiriti del Natale arrives in US cinemas, a new take on Charles Dickens' classic tale with Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge and Ti West, director of X, Pearl and MaXXXine, behind the camera. The project stems from an apparently improbable combination: the most classic of Christmas tales and one of the most recognisable names in contemporary horror. But calling it simply "a horror Christmas Carol" would be reductive. The director's early statements and the images shown in 2026 suggest a film that wants to recover above all the gothic and spectral component of Dickens' original work, without necessarily turning it into pure horror. West has in fact explained that he has been drawn to the story since childhood precisely as a ghost story, even more than as a Christmas fable.
A Dickens classic seen through Ti West's eyes
Published in 1843, A Christmas Carol has been adapted countless times for cinema and television. The story is now part of the collective imagination: Ebenezer Scrooge is a rich, miserly man incapable of compassion, destined to spend Christmas night confronting the ghosts of his own past, present and future. The novelty of this version therefore does not lie in radically changing the story, but in bringing back to the foreground what the more familiar adaptations have often softened: fear. It is a particularly interesting choice given Ti West's track record. The American director made his name in horror with films such as X, Pearl and MaXXXine, building a filmography marked by tension, atmosphere, violence and a strong interest in character. Ebenezer thus represents his move toward a much larger, openly mainstream production, but without abandoning the territory of unease.
West told Entertainment Weekly that he wanted to make a version in which the ghosts were genuinely frightening. In particular, the memory of the ghost of Jacob Marley in the 1951 television version with George C. Scott is said to have contributed to his fascination with the darker side of the story.
Johnny Depp is Ebenezer Scrooge
At the centre of it all is, naturally, Johnny Depp. The choice of actor is anything but random. Scrooge is a caricatural, eccentric, melancholic character capable of shifting rapidly from comedy to cruelty: traits that suit Depp's particular physicality and acting style very well. The director has said that, once he saw the actor as Scrooge, he had confirmation that the choice worked, above all thanks to his ability to give musicality to Dickens' language. According to West, Depp also manages to make Scrooge a surprisingly likeable character even though, on paper, he should be deeply unlikeable. And this could be one of the film's most interesting elements. It does not seem, in fact, that West asked Depp to repeat one of his most famous characters. The director has explicitly clarified that the new Scrooge is not Jack Sparrow, not Willy Wonka and not Edward Scissorhands. The audience may recognise some of the actor's traits, but the goal is to create an autonomous performance. The role also takes on particular significance because it marks Depp's return to a major Hollywood studio film after several years away from big American productions. Variety had already noted at the project's announcement that the film would be one of his main returns to Hollywood.
A surprising cast
The film brings together a particularly eclectic group of performers. Alongside Depp and McKellen we find: Rupert Grint, as Bob Cratchit; Andrea Riseborough, as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Tramell Tillman, star of Severance, as the Ghost of Christmas Present; Sam Claflin as Fred; Daisy Ridley; Charlie Murphy; Ellie Bamber; Arthur Conti; Henry Lloyd-Hughes. Particularly interesting is Tramell Tillman. West has explained that he built a very different personality for his Ghost of Christmas Present from the other spirits: impatient, pragmatic and almost bored by the task of teaching a moral lesson to a man like Scrooge yet again.
Horror, yes, but without betraying Dickens
This is perhaps the fundamental point for understanding Ebenezer. The film does not seem to want to turn Scrooge e gli spiriti del Natale into a Christmas slasher or a straightforward horror picture. The most accurate definition might be gothic ghost story, a supernatural tale in which fear becomes a tool for telling redemption. Paramount itself describes the project as a "ghost story" set in Dickensian London, centred on the supernatural journey of a man forced to face past, present and future to earn a second chance. West has also stressed that, while introducing personal stylistic elements, the film remains respectful of the original text. In other words, the aim does not seem to be to "correct" Dickens, but to remind the audience that the original tale was far darker than many modern versions let on.
A Christmas film that could divide audiences
Ebenezer's challenge will be above all this: how much horror can a Christmas film contain without ceasing to be a Christmas film? West's answer seems to differ from that of many other adaptations. The director has said he sought a balance between fear and emotion, arguing that the film has genuinely moving moments. According to West, some scenes even moved viewers to tears during screenings. This element matters because it suggests the film will not be built exclusively on the spectacle of the ghosts. The real horror, in the end, remains Scrooge's: looking at your own life and discovering you have wasted it. It is a far more universal fear than any supernatural creature.
Johnny Depp's return comes via Christmas
There is also an extra-diegetic component that will inevitably accompany the film's release. Ebenezer arrives at a particular moment in Johnny Depp's career. After years marked by a reduced presence in big Hollywood productions, the actor returns as the lead of a Paramount film released in cinemas. People called it a major Hollywood return, while the American press has observed how the role of Scrooge could represent a kind of new phase in his career.
The actor also made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, showing up directly as Scrooge and helping turn the film's promotion into a genuine event. It is an understandable strategy: Ebenezer does not just sell a new Dickens adaptation, it sells the idea of Johnny Depp being Johnny Depp again before a large cinema audience, this time through one of the most iconic characters in Christmas literature.
When does Ebenezer come out?
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol arrives in US cinemas on 13 November 2026, distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is directed by Ti West, written by Nathaniel Halpern from Charles Dickens' tale and produced by Emma Watts. For now it is not yet possible to establish whether it will truly be a horror in the strict sense. The available information places it more precisely between Christmas fantasy, drama and ghost story, with a marked horror sensibility.
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