Eight years is a long time to be away from Hollywood. Johnny Depp made sure his return announcement landed with maximum impact.
On July 23, Depp walked the streets of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter in full Ebenezer Scrooge makeup, complete with old-age prosthetics, stopping in front of a Scrooge and Marley pop-up shop to meet fans who had gathered after word spread something was happening. The appearance was unannounced. No panel, no press release, just Depp in character handing out candy to a crowd that clearly had not forgotten him.
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The trailer that opened with a statement
The street appearance was only the first act. Later that afternoon, Depp crashed the tail end of an unrelated Directors on Directing panel in Hall H to debut the first trailer for Paramount'sEbenezer, his formal Hollywood comeback vehicle. The trailer's opening line landed with unmistakable self-awareness: "It's good to be back."
Here's the thing: that line does double duty. Scrooge says it in the film, but the audience in Hall H knew exactly who was really speaking.
Depp had last appeared at Comic-Con in July 2018, promoting Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald as the villain Gellert Grindelwald. Warner Bros. asked him to leave the franchise in 2020 following a lost court case connected to his split from Amber Heard. The years since have kept him largely outside the Hollywood studio system, with work limited to indie and international productions.
Ebenezer changes that. The film is set for a November 13 release date, and Depp already previewed footage at CinemaCon in April. A second studio film, Lionsgate'sDay Drinker, is scheduled for 2027, making this less of a one-off and more of a full return to the system.
A cast worth paying attention to
Director Ti West, known for the X horror franchise, is behind the camera for Ebenezer, which is an interesting choice for a Charles Dickens adaptation. The supporting cast is stacked:
- Andrea Riseborough as the Ghost of Christmas Past
- Tramell Tillman as the Ghost of Christmas Present
- Ian McKellen as Jacob Marley
- Rupert Grint as Bob Cratchit
The combination of West's direction and that cast gives Ebenezer a genuinely different profile from the dozen-plus A Christmas Carol adaptations that already exist. What most players miss in the initial buzz around Depp's return is that the film itself has serious creative credentials backing it up.
Comic-Con's long history of hiding celebrities in plain sight
Depp's street appearance fits a well-established Comic-Con tradition. Bryan Cranston once roamed the convention floor in a Walter White mask, Jack Black dressed as a Stormtrooper, and Henry Cavill wore a Guy Fawkes mask. The convention has become a reliable venue for this kind of controlled spontaneity, where "surprise" appearances are carefully staged but still land as genuine moments for fans on the ground.
The key here is that Depp's Scrooge makeup made the whole thing work better than a simple celebrity walkabout would have. Fans got a first real look at the character design up close, not just in a trailer or a polished press photo.
For fans of big-budget character-driven films, the Ebenezer trailer is worth tracking down. If you want more entertainment industry voice casting news in the meantime, check out the 007 First Light full voice cast guide for a breakdown of every actor in that production. For everything else dropping this week, the gaming guides hub has the latest across film, games, and beyond.
November 13 is the date to mark. Between the cast, the director, and the weight of Depp's absence from Hollywood, Ebenezer has more riding on it than most Christmas releases. The Gothic 1 Remake Old Camp guide might tide you over until then if you need something to play while the countdown runs.
