Johnny Depp May Have Found His Next Jack Sparrow After Unrecognizable SDCC Appearance
Johnny Depp has spent the best part of two decades hiding behind Captain Jack Sparrow’s beads and eyeliner, but a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con may have revealed a new character for him to regularly slip into – mainly around Christmas time.
Depp has been quiet in the last few years, having worked on several independent movies since his return to the industry after his highly publicized legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard and the controversy surrounding them. Now, he is starting to find more prominent roles coming his way, including an unrecognisable turn as Ebenezer Scrooge in Ti West’s new version of the endlessly adapted A Christmas Carol. It is a far cry from the swashbuckler who became his most iconic creation, but seems to be another character he is fully embodying.
Although seeing Depp in full Scrooge mode was not something many expected to see, it became clear that West’s new movie was going to make an impression at the event this year. Paramount built a faux 1880s British Christmas village in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, complete with Victorian carolers, and Depp’s Scrooge appeared in the window of a mock storefront and stepped out to meet the crowd. Staying fully in character behind the guise, he grumbled his way through a question about fair wages, and even managed to throw out a single, in-character “Humbug.”
The film itself is titled Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, and it is a peculiar prospect. A Christmas Carol has been filmed more times than any other story in history, but putting West behind the camera makes it anything but your regular retelling of the classic ghost story. Best known for his Mia Goth-starring X trilogy, West brings a dark and atmospheric approach to the Dickens novella rather than the bright, family-friendly version audiences usually get.
In Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, Depp leads a stacked ensemble that includes Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Ian McKellen, Sam Claflin, Andrea Riseborough, and more, with the movie due to arrive in cinemas on November 13, 2026.
Could Scrooge Be Depp’s New Jack Sparrow?
Depp’s long association with Jack Sparrow effectively ended when Disney moved on from him and began developing a Pirates reboot, leaving one of the most recognizable characters of his career behind. Although there are still persistent rumors that Depp could still be setting sail as Captain Jack one more time if the stars align and the compass points in the right direction, a role like Scrooge seems to be fitting the actor like a glove. This could be a role he makes the most of, given his love of theatrics.
Where Jack Sparrow was all flamboyant swagger, Scrooge is his bitter opposite, a miserable recluse who goes through a transformation in his final act. It seems that Depp has been going through his own changes recently, and perhaps his age is making it seem like his Pirate years are behind him, and he needs something new to build on in the future. The film is certainly being marketed as a big Depp vehicle, and it’s hard not to notice the strangely overblown, upfront ego-kissing of the movie’s recently released trailer, which you can see below.
Whether Scrooge genuinely becomes a recurring go-to event character for Depp to perform as is yet to be seen. His appearance at SDCC has certainly helped boost the presence of Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, so who knows?
(feature image: Disney)
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