Grumpy face, candies in hand, hunched back: Johnny Depp is unrecognisable as Ebenezer Scrooge at San Diego Comic-Con 2026

Johnny Depp is back in the headlines. The Oscar nominee, who recently made an appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 on July 23, stole the spotlight as Ebenezer Scrooge. The actor’s unrecognisable appearance was a nod to his upcoming film Ebenezer, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol. Depp, 63, was last seen at Comic-Con in 2018, cosplaying the famous villainous character Gellert Grindelwald for his movie Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, also starring Eddie Redmayne in the lead. Additionally, Ebenezer marks Depp’s return to the theatres 3 years after his French biographical drama Jeanne du Barry.

Johnny Depp stuns fans as Ebenezer Scrooge

As per the videos circulating widely on social media, Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance first at the Gaslamp Quarter pop-up shop Scrooge and Marley and later in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con to introduce Ebenezer’s trailer.


Johnny Depp wore a long and flowing navy blue suit and cape that he paired with a black top hat. Much like Charles Dickens’ iconic grumpy character Ebenezer, the Pirates of the Caribbean actor sported a scowling face, walked with a hunched back, holding a cane, and a candle, speaking with fans in Ebenezer’s rude tone, playfully teasing them with a handful of candies. Depp’s facial prosthetics and greying sideburns turned him completely into the old miser.

All about Johnny Depp’s film Ebenezer

According to a report by the Associated Press, Johnny Depp addressed the excited crowd, asking them sarcastically whether they even had jobs since they took out their spare time to attend the Comic Con. As the onlookers wished Depp, ‘Merry Christmas’ as an ode to A Christmas Carol, Depp, without breaking his character, responded roughly, ‘I can only say you're all very, very strange people. Humbug’.

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Ebenezer, directed by Ti West, is billed as a dark reimagination of Charles Dickens’ novel. The trailer opens to Scrooge haunted by Christmas spirits before he becomes an ill-tempered miser who rejects Christmas spirits and spews hate on those who celebrate the festival. Besides Depp, the horror fantasy also stars Sam Claflin, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Tramell Tillman and Ian McKellen in key roles. Ebenezer is ready to hit the big screens on November 13.