Back in 2018, Johnny Depp was dropped from the Pirates of the Caribbean and Fantastic Beasts franchises over accusations of domestic abuse made by his ex-wife, which he always strongly denied. Yet after winning his US libel case against her, the Jack Sparrow star has slowly but surely been making his return to filmmaking.
After a couple of European indies, his first Hollywood studio film in several years is a gothic take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The 63-year-old stars in Ebenezer as Scrooge and the first reactions have landed from a test screening in New Jersey.
According to Punk News’ Matthew Belloni and his three sources, Ebenezer scored 80, which means that 4/5s of the audience thought the Paramount film was very good or excellent. Most movies test-screen at around 72, with the Top 10% reaching 93 or higher.
The news gets even better for Depp’s Hollywood comeback when it came to his personal audience rating. The insider reported, “They loved him: Depp scored an 86, very high for any actor—the general norm for a lead character is a 67—let alone a guy who just a few years ago was considered banished and unemployable.” The star even scored 90 with women over 35, presumably the demographic who grew up with him as their big-screen heartthrob.
Rumour has it, Depp will play a supporting role to Margot Robbie, who still hasn’t signed on fully after three or four drafts of the script. The insider added: “If Depp is now in the mix, the trick for producer Jerry Bruckheimer will be delivering a script where Robbie is front and center to her satisfaction, while also leaving room for Depp’s Jack Sparrow as a supporting character.”
Ebenezer hits UK cinemas on November 13, 2026.
