Paramount is ready to take a major chance on Johnny Depp with his biggest role since a contentious legal battle with his ex-wife, Amber Heard. According to The Hollywood Reporter. Depp and the studio are in “final negotiations” to star in Ti West’s upcoming take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Depp would play the titular role in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, which has been set for release on November 13th, 2026. The studio describes the project as “a thrilling ghost story set in Dickens’ London, following one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present, and future and fight for a second chance.”
West is attached to direct the film from a script by Nathaniel Halpern, with Oscar-nominated actress Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie) also tied to the project.
During his years-long defamation battle with Heard, which included allegations of abuse from both sides, Depp was dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts franchises.
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Though a Virginia jury found Heard liable for defamation in 2022, and the two parties later settled, Depp has worked almost entirely outside of Hollywood since then.
“I don’t feel boycotted, because I don’t think about Hollywood,” Depp said while promoting the French film Jeanne du Barry at Cannes in 2023. “I don’t feel much further need for Hollywood — I don’t know about you.”
After starring in the upcoming Lionsgate-distributed Day Drinker, helmed by The Amazing Spider-Man director Marc Webb, it appears Depp is back in Hollywood’s good graces.