Johnny Depp turned up at Comic-Con in San Diego in costume as Ebenezer Scrooge, and the moment was built around Pirates of the Caribbean as much as the new film. Paramount used the appearance to push Ebenezer as his return to a major studio lead, with Depp telling the crowd, “It’s good to be back.”
That line landed against a sharper one from the same day: “Have you people no jobs?” Depp shouted at Comic-Con in San Diego. The contrast is the point of the rollout. Paramount is not selling this as a quiet prestige turn; it is selling a comeback in public, in costume, in front of the people who notice marketing strategy as much as movie stars.
Ebenezer and the trailer
The trailer does the heavy lifting. It says, “He brought us Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands and the Mad Hatter. This November, the master of misfits returns.” That wording ties Depp’s name to his most recognizable screen identities and makes Pirates of the Caribbean part of the pitch before audiences have even seen a frame of the film itself.
Ti West directs Ebenezer, and that choice matters because he made MaXXXine, Pearl and House of the Devil. Paramount is pairing a director with a clear genre track record to a star who is being relaunched in a role built for recognition, not subtlety. The studio wants the audience to read the project as a return, not just another period title.
2019, 2022, 2023
Depp’s comeback framing arrives after the 2019 lawsuits between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard and their 2022 trial, which left him with a much quieter stretch professionally. Minimata, his 2020 film, made less than a million dollars at the box office, and Jeanne du Barry premiered at Cannes in 2023 under the shadow of a feminist demonstration and an open letter signed by 100 members of the French film industry.
That makes the Comic-Con appearance more than a publicity beat. Paramount is testing whether a loud, highly visible return can reset the conversation around Depp as a theatrical draw, even with the baggage that still travels with his name. The trailer is already making the argument that Pirates of the Caribbean, Jack Sparrow, and the rest of his familiar screen personas can be folded into one comeback package.
This November
This November is the only release window on the table, and that is the real business takeaway. Paramount has set Ebenezer up as Depp’s public reentry, but the audience verdict will come when the film actually lands, not when a costume stroll does. If the studio is right, the Comic-Con push will look like the first step in a wider return; if it is wrong, it will read as an expensive reminder that branding alone does not guarantee acceptance.
