Like the ghost of Christmas past embracing his redemption, Johnny Depp surprised audiences at San Diego Comicon recently as Ebenezer Scrooge. On stage and in character he revealed a teaser trailer for the Charles Dickens classic that contained all the touchstones audiences have come to expect. Cries of humbug sit alongside a score that tips a hat to Danny Elfman and Tim Burton, even if Ti West might be the man steering the ship.
Written by Nathan Halpern, best known for the under rated Prime Video offering Tales from the Loop. Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is steeped in period drama detail and introduces an eclectic ensemble cast including Sir Ian McKellen and Daisy Ridley. However, this opening teaser lives and dies on the impact of Johnny Depp and his ability to win over an audience.
Even in this opening teaser he feels closer to Michael Caine in A Muppet’s Christmas Carol than Jim Carrey but still manages to make an indelible mark of his own on Scrooge. Flashes of Captain Jack Sparrow keep audiences on side as this curmudgeonly buffoon whips by with a glint in his eye. Prowling the snow covered streets of a Dickensian London and carving his own furrow into this classic tale.
It might play like a trip down memory lane to remind us how many characters he has inhabited, but there is no denying the infectious nature of that on-screen presence. Johnny Depp is letting loose after years in captivity and is clearly relishing the redemption arc of this classic character. It might feel like a leftfield choice for the cosplay capital of superhero conventions, but Ebenezer sits in opposition to Marvel and DC by embracing something more traditional. Come November when Ebenezer hits cinemas, it will be interested to see if the tactic has paid off.