Johnny Depp returns to a Hollywood studio release on Friday, November 13, when Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol opens in theaters. The Paramount film casts Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge in a dark take on the Dickens story, and it is his first studio film since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018. The Johnny Depp comeback now faces its clearest test.
Depp plays Scrooge in a version directed by Ti West, the filmmaker behind the horror films X, Pearl and MaXXXine. The script comes from Nathaniel Halpern. Paramount describes the film as a ghost story set in Dickens London, in which one man faces his past, present and future and fights for a second chance. The cast also includes Rupert Grint, Ian McKellen, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin, Andrea Riseborough and Tramell Tillman. Grint plays Bob Cratchit, the clerk who works for Scrooge. The Johnny Depp comeback rests on this cast and on a holiday date that puts the film in front of family audiences.
The trailer for the film carries a line that Depp delivers straight to the camera. He says, “It is good to be back.” The line has drawn wide notice because it reads as a message about his own career as much as about Scrooge. Depp made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con in July dressed as Scrooge, and that appearance opened the film’s promotional campaign.
Johnny Depp comeback builds on strong test scores
Early audience response has given Paramount reason for hope. Puck reported that Ebenezer scored 80 out of 100 in test screenings, while Depp himself scored 86. Those numbers point to an audience that is open to seeing him in a leading role again. Test screenings can mislead, and a strong score in a preview room does not always lead to strong ticket sales on opening weekend. The opening gross will give the first firm answer on the Johnny Depp comeback.
Depp spoke about his time away from major studio films in an interview with AP News ahead of the release. Asked how it feels to be back in Hollywood, he said he did not know, and then asked what the difference is between a Hollywood film and a French film. He added that there was a bit of a vacation, which was fine. The remark fits with comments he made in 2023, when he said he kept wondering about the word comeback because he did not go anywhere. His own words frame the Johnny Depp comeback as a return to the phone calls, not a return from exile.
Johnny Depp comeback follows years away from studios
The gap in his studio career followed his split from Amber Heard and the legal cases that came with it. Depp lost a libel case in Britain in 2020, and Warner Bros. then removed him from the Fantastic Beasts series. A jury in Virginia ruled in 2022 that Heard had defamed Depp in a newspaper column, and it also found that one statement by Depp’s lawyer had defamed Heard. The two sides later settled their appeals.
During the years away from studio films, Depp worked on smaller projects in Europe. He played Louis XV in the French film Jeanne du Barry, which opened the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. He also directed Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness, a drama about the artist Amedeo Modigliani.
Film scholar Tanya Horeck has questioned the idea that Depp is returning from full exile, since he stayed visible through advertising work and a loyal online following. The Johnny Depp comeback is measured by studio backing and not by visibility alone.
What the Johnny Depp comeback means next
Depp already has a second studio film lined up for the Johnny Depp comeback. He will star in Day Drinker, a thriller for Lionsgate that also stars Penelope Cruz and Madelyn Cline. Marc Webb directs the film from a script by Zach Dean, and it is set for release in 2027. The project shot earlier in 2026 and was presented to buyers at the American Film Market.
Reports have also linked the Johnny Depp comeback with a return to the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has said Disney is talking with Depp and working on a script, and he has said he hopes they can get it done. No deal has been confirmed.
NBC News reported that industry insiders now say Hollywood is prepared to welcome back certain stars, with Depp chief among them, if audiences accept them. That view drew criticism from advocates who say the industry is quicker to restore male stars than the women who speak about abuse. The debate will run on whatever the box office says, and Ebenezer opens in theaters on November 13, when the Johnny Depp comeback meets its audience.