Johnny Depp just pulled off the most unexpected Comic-Con moment of the year. The actor showed up fully in character to promote his upcoming Christmas film in a way nobody saw coming.
Johnny Depp embraces Ebenezer Scrooge at SDCC
Johnny Depp made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con on July 23 fully dressed as Ebenezer Scrooge.
The actor arrived in character at the Gaslamp district before crashing Collider’s Directors on Directing panel in Hall H. He used the moment to debut the trailer for Ebenezer, a Ti West-directed Paramount film releasing on November 13.
Depp stayed completely in character throughout, speaking in a mumbled Scrooge voice during both appearances. He addressed the Hall H crowd by asking, “Have you no lives jobs?” Early in the trailer, his Scrooge turns to the camera and declares, “It’s good to be back.”
The film also stars Ian McKellen, Rupert Grint, Daisy Ridley, Sam Claflin and Andrea Riseborough. Nathaniel Halpern wrote the screenplay, adapting the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Entertainment Weekly also noted that Depp made a Trump tariff joke while on stage in costume.
Fans react to Depp’s Ebenezer Scrooge
Social media users responded with a mix of excitement and criticism after clips spread online. One user described the appearance by writing, “Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow as Ebenezer Scrooge.” Another praised his return, stating, “The king is back, and I’m absolutely here for every second of it.”
However, not all reactions celebrated the moment. One user called the casting fitting, writing, “This is kind of perfect casting if he goes full weird old ghost-story energy.” Others pushed back more sharply against Depp’s Hollywood comeback. One user wrote, “Some actors have been canceled for less.” Another described Depp as having “a rare uncanny ability to become his character with seamless effort.”
