Ti West to direct Johnny Depp as Scrooge in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol

In 2025 it was reported that Ti West, the American director best known for horror films such as X and Pearl, would direct a new screen version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The film, titled Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, was set up at Paramount Pictures, with Johnny Depp cast as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge.

The screenplay was written by Nathaniel Halpern. Early coverage said Andrea Riseborough would co-star, and a larger ensemble was announced later. The project promised a darker, more unsettling take on the well-known Victorian ghost story than the family-friendly versions that have dominated screens for decades.

The news mattered for two reasons. It marked a return for Depp to a major Hollywood studio production, after years in which his career had been overshadowed by his legal battles with his ex-wife Amber Heard and a reduced presence in big-budget films. It also paired a genre director with one of the most familiar stories in English literature, raising interest in how a horror filmmaker would handle a festive classic.