Johnny Depp Transforms Into Ebenezer Scrooge in First Full 'Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol' Trailer

The official trailer for Johnny Depp's much-anticipated film Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol has finally been released online, offering audiences their most complete look yet at the actor's take on Charles Dickens' infamous miser.

The project was first announced at CinemaCon in April this year, and it drew intense attention at San Diego Comic-Con, where Depp was unveiled as the film's leading star. With only a month to go before its release, the new trailer gives fans a fresh glimpse of a boldly reimagined Christmas Carol.

A miser, a warning, and three ghosts

The footage shows Depp transforming into the bitter, elderly businessman who possesses enormous wealth but cherishes money above all else. Viewers see snapshots of his daily life, in which his own family members try and fail to connect with him. When people arrive to ask for donations, he turns them away, telling them he does not wish to be disturbed.

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley — played by Ian McKellen — who warns him that he must change his ways and that three ghosts will visit him. The trailer then reveals glimpses of Scrooge's encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future.

Fans praise Depp's transformation and the story's horror streak

Reaction to the trailer was swift, with fans and social media users applauding both Depp's performance and the film's willingness to lean into the darker tones of Dickens' original novella.

One viewer wrote, "I love the addition of Ebenezer screaming at his past self, showing the pain and regret of that one decision he's never been able to recover from." Another simply commented, "Johnny Depp doing what he does best."

Many also credited the film for not shying away from the horror elements of the source material. "I like how this actually looks like it's going for what Dickens intended to do with A Christmas Carol and make it a scary story," one fan shared. Another added, "Johnny Depp has been collecting weird little character roles for a decade, and this is genuinely the one that makes sense. That candle shot alone is worth the ticket."

Cast and plot

Depp leads the ensemble as Ebenezer Scrooge. The cast also includes Arthur Conti as young Ebenezer, Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's employee, Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Daisy Ridley as Fred's wife, Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley, Scrooge's deceased business partner, Sam Claflin as Fred, Scrooge's nephew, Ellie Bamber as Isabel Fezziwig, Nicholas Day as a minister, alongside Charlie Murphy and Henry Lloyd-Hughes.