Johnny Depp Signs On To Lead Ti West’s Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol

Because apparently one haunted holiday redemption arc just isn't enough, we're getting dueling takes on "A Christmas Carol": Paramount has fast-tracked a version with Johnny Depp as Scrooge, while Warner Bros. still has Robert Eggers cooking up his own with Willem Dafoe. Here's where things stand.

Paramount's move: Depp as Scrooge, Ti West directing

Paramount is putting out "Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol" in theaters on November 13, 2026. Ti West, fresh off the X/Pearl/MaXXXine run, is directing what will be his first major studio film. Nathaniel Halpern wrote the script.

This isn't a winky musical detour or a slapstick spin. West is leaning into a full-on ghost story set in Dickens' London, following Scrooge's supernatural tour through his past, present, and future as he fights for a second chance. Depp is playing Ebenezer Scrooge, with Andrea Riseborough ("Mandy") also in the cast. Emma Watts is producing, and Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman are on board as executive producers. Trade reports peg this as a legit studio play, not a niche horror one-off, which is an interesting lane for West.

The other Carol: Eggers and Dafoe at Warner Bros.

Four months ago, Warner Bros. set Robert Eggers ("Nosferatu") to write and direct a new "A Christmas Carol," with Willem Dafoe lined up as Scrooge. That project exists, but Eggers just started shooting his werewolf movie "Werwulf," so the Carol timeline on the WB side is fuzzy. With Paramount planting a 2026 flag, the obvious question is whether Warner Bros. still pushes ahead and, if so, how long they wait to give their version some breathing room. Given that there are already well over 100 filmed takes on this story, it's not like the market hasn't been here before.

Why this could actually be interesting

I don't exactly wake up craving another "A Christmas Carol" remake, but West doing a studio-scale gothic ghost story with Depp as Scrooge is at least a curveball worth watching. The mood and atmosphere alone could set this apart if they really commit.

What we know right now

• Title: "Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol" (Paramount)
• Release date: November 13, 2026 (theatrical)
• Director: Ti West ("X," "Pearl," "MaXXXine"); his first major studio film
• Ebenezer Scrooge: Johnny Depp
• Screenwriter: Nathaniel Halpern
• Cast: Andrea Riseborough ("Mandy")
• Producers: Emma Watts (producer); Stephen Deuters and Jason Forman (executive producers)
• Approach: a ghost-story take in Dickens' London, with Scrooge confronting Past, Present, and Yet to Come to claw back a second chance
• Competing project: Warner Bros. also has a "A Christmas Carol" from Robert Eggers with Willem Dafoe as Scrooge; Eggers is currently filming "Werwulf"

I'm not burned out enough to say no to West x Depp tackling Scrooge. Curious to see how gnarly and gothic they go with it. You in?