Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (1843) is one of the most frequently filmed stories in the world. The earliest surviving film adaptations date from 1901, and the best known include Alastair Sim's Scrooge (1951), Bill Murray's Scrooged (1988), The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and Robert Zemeckis' motion-capture version starring Jim Carrey (2009). Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol therefore cannot rely on the novelty of its story. Its selling points are its director and its lead actor. The film opens in Finnish cinemas on Friday 13 November 2026.
Johnny Depp's return to studio filmmaking
Paramount's film is Johnny Depp's first major Hollywood lead since his widely reported 2022 trial against his ex-wife, which significantly slowed his career. The film's marketing does not avoid the subject; it plays with it. At the end of the trailer, Scrooge turns straight to the camera and remarks that it is good to be back. The British marketing, meanwhile, presents Depp as a "master of misunderstood characters".
According to Variety, Depp is almost unrecognisable in the role: a balding, embittered businessman who values money above everything else and coldly refuses requests for charity. The trailer also includes a moment in which Scrooge throws a snowball at a passing couple and spitefully wishes them a merry Christmas.
Ti West – a horror director at the helm of a Christmas film
The choice of director is the film's most interesting feature. Ti West is known for horror: The House of the Devil (2009), The Sacrament (2013) and the Mia Goth-led trilogy X, Pearl and MaXXXine (2022–2024). West said at CinemaCon that adaptations of A Christmas Carol were among his earliest encounters with horror.
The observation is apt. Dickens' story is at heart a ghost story: a dead business partner returns in chains to deliver a warning, and three spirits drag the protagonist through past, present and future. The meaning of Christmas in Victorian England changed largely thanks to this very book, but its atmosphere is as gothic as it is heartwarming.
Slashfilm spotted a direct reference in the first trailer to Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Depp's very first film role. The film's tagline is "You know the name. You don't know the story."
Cast and roles
Roles announced by Paramount:
- Johnny Depp – Ebenezer Scrooge
- Ian McKellen – Jacob Marley, Scrooge's dead business partner
- Andrea Riseborough – the Ghost of Christmas Past
- Tramell Tillman – the Ghost of Christmas Present
- Rupert Grint – Bob Cratchit, Scrooge's clerk
- Daisy Ridley – Emily Cratchit
- Sam Claflin – Fred, Scrooge's nephew
The cast also includes Charlie Murphy, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Arthur Conti. The screenplay is by Nathaniel Halpern, known for the television series Legion and Tales from the Loop.
How dark is Ebenezer?
Early marketing described the film as a dark reimagining and even a supernatural revenge thriller. Later trailers, however, have emphasised humour and Depp's clearly gleeful performance. JoBlo noted that the trailers follow the story's familiar beats fairly faithfully. At one point, though, Scrooge appears to be haunted by ghosts even after the three familiar visits. It may be that Halpern's screenplay departs from the familiar formula towards the end.
In the United States the film was rated PG-13. In Finland, KAVI has rated it K12 because it contains violence and may cause anxiety. The rating is worth bearing in mind if you are considering it as a family Christmas film with younger children. This is not a cheerful, Muppet-style version.
Analysis: who is Ebenezer made for?
The film is aiming at two audiences at once. For one, it is a traditional Christmas film whose story viewers already know and which an adult family can see together. For the other, it is an auteur film by a horror director with a controversial star, where the interpretation is the main attraction.
This is both a strength and a risk. If West manages to balance the frightening and the moving, the result could be one of the most interesting Christmas Carol adaptations in decades. If the balance fails, the film may fall between two stools. For Depp, the film is in any case a litmus test of whether mainstream audiences still want to see him lead a studio picture.
The film opens in mid-November, well before Christmas, which suggests the distributor believes it will stay in cinemas throughout the holiday season. The running time is 1 hour 55 minutes.
If you liked these, watch Ebenezer
- Pearl (2022) – Ti West's stylised horror film, playing with colour and dread.
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) – the most beloved Christmas Carol adaptation, still considered the best by many. In tone it is the opposite of West's film.
- Scrooge (1951) – Alastair Sim's classic, which emphasises the story's darker shades.
- Sweeney Todd (2007) – Depp's previous dark leading role set in Victorian London.
Our expectations
Above all, we expect atmosphere. Ti West is an exceptionally skilled imitator of period and style, and Victorian London suits him naturally. Johnny Depp's performance is likely to divide audiences, as his roles are often stylised and mannered. In Scrooge's case, that may work well. The most interesting open question is whether Nathaniel Halpern's screenplay departs from the familiar ending. The trailer's hints of ghosts that do not disappear after three visits suggest there may be surprises even for those who know the story.
Frequently asked questions
When is Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol released in Finland?
It opens in Finnish cinemas on Friday 13 November 2026.
Is Ebenezer suitable for children?
The film is rated K12 in Finland because it contains violence and may cause anxiety. It is not suitable for young children.
Who plays the Christmas ghosts?
Andrea Riseborough plays the Ghost of Christmas Past, Tramell Tillman the Ghost of Christmas Present and Ian McKellen the ghost of Jacob Marley.
How long is the film?
The running time is 1 hour 55 minutes.
This text is based on information published by the film's distributors, production companies and film media. Assessments and interpretations are our own and are not based on seeing the finished film unless stated otherwise.
