Paramount Pictures the first trailer for Ebenezer: A Christmas Caroldirector You West‘s darker adaptation of it Charles DickensNovel of 1843. Johnny Depp leads the film as Ebenezer Scroogemarking his first major studio role since then Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018.
Nathaniel Halpern wrote the screenplay, which draws on the eerie and psychological elements of Dickens’ original ghost story. The trailer showcases a bleak Victorian London filled with shadowy streets, hostile encounters and unsettling supernatural visitors. West approaches the familiar Christmas tale through the horror style that shaped films such as X, Pearl, The Devil’s House, The Innkeepers and The Roost.
Depp appears under heavy facial prosthetics, weathered makeup and long gray hair. His transformation gives Scrooge a bald head, an aged face and a strong presence. The video shows him confronting townspeople, throwing a snowball and growling his famous response: “Humbug.”
The trailer opens with Depp declaring, “It’s good to be back.” Within the story, the line may refer to Scrooge’s experience after his supernatural encounters. Paramount is also using it to frame Depp’s return to the studio after the 2022 lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
West gives the three Christmas apparitions detailed and disturbing physical forms. The trailer presents them as menacing entities that push Scrooge into the consequences of his choices. Their designs bring a stronger sense of danger to scenes that many previous adaptations have tackled through fantasy, comedy or family entertainment.
Sir Ian McKellen is playing Jacob MarleyScrooge’s former partner who returns as a ghost. Rupert Grind assumes his role Bob Cratchit. Andrea Riseborough, Trammell Tillman and Robert Strange they depict his spirits Christmas past, Present and Future. Sam Claflin and Daisy Ridley also join the cast.
Hollywood has adapted Christmas Carol often in live action, cartoons, comedies and family films. Previous versions have appeared Bill Murraythe Muppets and computer-generated characters, while Nicolas Cage appeared in cartoon interpretation. West brings his personal relationship with horror to this new production.
During CinemaCon earlier this year, West explained that adaptations of A Christmas Carol gave him some of his first encounters with the horror genre. This connection guides the treatment of the material, especially through the ghost drawings and the trailer’s oppressive atmosphere. Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol opens exclusively in theaters on November 13, 2026, via Paramount Pictures.
