Johnny Depp didn’t just show up at San Diego Comic-Con—he walked in like Christmas arrived four months early.
Fans were caught completely off guard when the 63-year-old actor appeared in full costume as Ebenezer Scrooge to promote Ti West’s upcoming gothic reimagining, Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol.
Sporting a top hat, cane, flowing gray facial hair and heavy prosthetic makeup, Depp was almost impossible to recognise.
The surprise appearance wasn’t listed on Comic-Con’s official schedule, making the reveal even sweeter for fans. Depp later joined Collider’s “Directors on Directing” panel before the film’s first trailer debuted.
Earlier in the day, crowds gathered outside the convention center as the Pirates of the Caribbean star strolled into the Gaslamp Quarter’s themed Scrooge and Marley shop without ever breaking character.
When one fan called out, “Good day to you, Mr. Scrooge,” Depp instantly fired back with Dickens-worthy grumpiness.
“What’s so pleasant about it?” he replied.
The film, first announced in 2025, offers a darker twist on Charles Dickens’ beloved holiday classic and follows Scrooge’s supernatural journey toward redemption.
Veteran actor Ian McKellen, who plays Jacob Marley, previously had nothing but praise for his co-star.
“He’s in spankingly good form,” McKellen told Variety. “Effervescent, funny, irreverent, serious — all at the same time.”
He added that working with Depp “was a bit of a love fest.”
“I fell in love with him,” McKellen said, calling the actor “very obliging to his fellow actors. [There was] a wonderful feeling on the set.”
Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol is set to hit theaters on November 13, marking Depp’s first major Hollywood studio release in several years.
