Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol Premieres in London on 9 November, Four Days Before Release

Johnny Depp walked the red carpet at the London premiere of Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol on 9 November 2026. The event took place four days before the film was scheduled to open in cinemas on 13 November, and it brought several members of the cast together in one public appearance.

Ti West directed the film, a dark fantasy take on Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella in which Depp plays Ebenezer Scrooge. Good Morning America reports that the premiere was held at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square. The coverage also sets out the guest list, the release timing and what Depp told reporters at the event.

Who Joined Depp on the London Red Carpet

Good Morning America names the premiere guests as Robert Strange, Rupert Grint, Charlie Murphy, director Ti West, Sam Claflin, screenwriter Nathaniel Halpern, Ellie Bamber, Johnny Depp, Tramell Tillman and Henry Lloyd-Hughes. The list covers the lead actors, several supporting players and the director and screenwriter.

Irish News says Depp spoke at the UK premiere. It names Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin and Tramell Tillman as co-stars of the film. Its photo caption refers to a global premiere, and Good Morning America uses the same term for the London event.

A Hola photo story published on 10 November shows Depp on the London red carpet. Taken together, the reports place him at the premiere on 9 November.

The premiere came more than three months after the film’s first trailer was unveiled at San Diego Comic-Con.

Opening Date
Good Morning America, BroadwayWorld and Nerdtropolis give 13 November 2026 as the theatrical opening date for Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol. Irish News reports that UK cinemas open with the film that day.

The 1843 Novella Behind the Film

A Christmas Carol was published on 19 December 1843 by Chapman & Hall in London, with illustrations by John Leech. Charles Dickens wrote the story.

The novella follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly businessman who rejects charity and holiday cheer on a bleak Christmas Eve. His late partner, Jacob Marley, warns that Scrooge faces a terrible fate unless he changes, and announces three visits. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his lonely childhood. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him the joy of others, including the Cratchit family and their ill youngest son, Tiny Tim. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come reveals Scrooge’s own unmourned death. Scrooge wakes transformed.

According to Wikipedia, the novella has been adapted for film and television more than any other Dickens work, and it has never been out of print.

Irish News describes the new film as a dark fantasy adaptation in which Scrooge is a bitter miser who despises Christmas until the ghosts of his past, present and future encourage him to change.

Cast, Creative Team and the Comic-Con Trailer

BroadwayWorld reported the casting on 17 December 2025. Its report names Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge, Ti West as director, Nathaniel Halpern as screenwriter and Paramount as distributor. Nerdtropolis adds Emma Watts as producer, with Ti West among the executive producers.

Good Morning America and Nerdtropolis both list Andrea Riseborough, Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Daisy Ridley, Arthur Conti, Ellie Bamber, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Charlie Murphy, Tramell Tillman and Ian McKellen alongside Depp. Good Morning America gives a role only for Depp.

BroadwayWorld, citing Deadline, reports that Grint is rumoured to play Bob Cratchit, and it describes that as a rumour. The role has not been confirmed. BroadwayWorld also reports that another film version, directed by Robert Eggers and starring Willem Dafoe, is in the works.

Nerdtropolis reports that Depp made an unexpected appearance in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con to introduce the first trailer, and that the moment immediately electrified the crowd. The footage, it says, has a gothic atmosphere and eerie supernatural elements, along with an emotionally conflicted Scrooge. It also describes the film as blending psychological horror with gothic fantasy. The trailer keeps many mysteries hidden, according to the same account.

Release Dates Set for 13 November

Good Morning America gives 13 November as the theatrical release date. Irish News reports that UK cinemas open with the film that day. BroadwayWorld and Nerdtropolis both list 13 November 2026 as the opening date, so all four accounts agree on the date.

The London premiere on 9 November came four days before that opening. The Irish News report from the premiere was published at 8:52pm GMT that evening.

Asked about his return to Hollywood films, Depp said there had been a bit of a vacation.

What Depp Said at the Premiere

In an interview with The Associated Press, relayed by Good Morning America, Depp was asked how it felt to be back in Hollywood films. He answered by asking about the difference between a Hollywood film and a French one, and then an English one. He said the difference was that there had been a bit of a vacation, and added that this was fine.

At the UK premiere, Depp said the welcome he has received is hard to explain. He said he owed fans who had supported him through thick and thin, and he called them his bosses, according to Irish News.

In a PEOPLE interview, as reported by Hola, Depp compared a character’s costume to a suit of armour. He described Scrooge as a man trying to make himself invisible to the world.

Across these accounts, his remarks cover three subjects: his return to film work, his relationship with audiences and the character he plays.

Depp’s Return to Film After the Trials

Irish News reports that the Ebenezer role is Depp’s first live-action film role since 2023, and his first major big-screen return since the two trials involving Amber Heard.

Irish News also outlines the legal background. Good Morning America reports that in 2022 a Virginia jury sided mostly with Depp in his US defamation case against Heard, over her 2018 Washington Post article. Depp lost a UK lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, over an article that called him a ‘wife beater’. A 2020 ruling found the claim substantially true.

Hola describes the Ebenezer film as Depp’s biggest industry movie since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Since the trials, he has also starred in the French film Jeanne du Barry. Hola reports that he is preparing for Day Drinker, a Marc Webb thriller co-starring Penélope Cruz and Madelyn Cline, due in theaters in March 2027.