Johnny Depp makes major Hollywood movie return in iconic role

Having won his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard three years ago, Johnny Depp has slowly but surely been making his return to major Hollywood movies.

Following the upcoming Day Drinker with Penélope Cruz over at Lionsgate, the Jack Sparrow star has now been cast in an iconic role.

The 62-year-old is to play Charles Dickens' Scrooge in the upcoming Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, set for release in November 2026.

According to Deadline, the Paramount film will be helmed by horror movie director Ti West, with Andrea Riseborough as signed on.

Interestingly, fellow A24 horror director Robert Eggers is helming his own Warner Bros version of A Christmas Carol with Willem Dafoe set to play Scrooge.

Given that the Dickens novella is a ghost story, we'd expect both films to lean heavily into the spooky side of things, considering both directors' big breaks in horror. Eggers is currently working on his new movie Werwulf, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, which is set for release in December 2026 - so we'd expect his A Christmas Carol to be a while away.