Johnny Depp’s Scrooge Surprise: Comic-Con Becomes Christmas Wonderland for ‘Ebenezer’

A surprise appearance by three-time Oscar nominee Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge unfolded at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, delighting fans in full Dickensian attire.

The stunt served as a marketing push for Paramount Pictures’ upcoming film “Ebenezer,” directed by Ti West and scheduled for theatrical release on November 13.

During a Cannes interview with Deadline three years ago, Depp revisited his August 2021 comments to The Sunday Times, in which he claimed Hollywood was boycotting him. When asked if he still felt that way, he dismissed the idea of a boycott.

“Did I feel a boycott by Hollywood? Well, you’d have to not have a pulse to feel at that point,” Depp stated. “None of this is happening — it’s just a weird joke or I’ve been asleep for 35 years.”

He added, “Of course, when you’re asked to resign from a film you’re doing because of something that is merely a bunch of kind of vowels and consonants floating in the air, you feel a boycott. Do I feel a boycott now? No, not at all.”

“I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don’t think about Hollywood,” he continued. “I don’t have much further need for Hollywood myself. It’s a very strange, funny time where everybody wants to be themselves but they can’t — they must fall in line and conform. And if you want to lead this life, I’ll be on the other side.”

The Cannes appearance followed Depp’s 2022 defamation battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over a Washington Post opinion piece regarding domestic abuse allegations. Heard had previously reached a $7 million divorce settlement with Depp after initially accusing him of physical abuse.

Since then, Depp has maintained public visibility through appearances at CinemaCon in April and the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival.

For Thursday’s promotion, David Ellison’s Paramount Pictures constructed a faux 1880s British Christmas village in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Victorian carolers kicked off the event before Depp emerged wearing a nose prosthetic and full Dickensian attire.

Addressing a crowd that gathered for more than an hour, Depp remained in character as fans shouted, “Good day to you, Mr. Scrooge.”

“What’s so good about it?” he responded. When another actor in period dress questioned him about fair wages, Depp offered only grumbles before quietly muttering “Humbug” to fans shouting “We love you.”

This marked Depp’s third Comic-Con appearance. He previously made a surprise appearance for Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” in 2009 and staged a guerrilla-style promotion in 2018 for Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.”