Johnny Depp’s July Comic-Con Appearance for A Christmas Carol Prequel Raises Eyebrows

San Diego Comic-Con is currently underway in California, and Johnny Depp is making an appearance dressed as Ebenezer Scrooge to promote his upcoming and seemingly unnecessary Christmas Carol prequel film. At one point, a crowd gathered to watch Depp, who has faced serious allegations from his ex-wife Amber Heard but won a defamation case against her in 2022, shout “Humbug!” The whole scene feels rather cringeworthy, fitting for an actor trying hard to regain his former popularity.

Yes, we’re getting an origin story for Ebenezer Scrooge, simply titled Ebenezer, with the tagline, “Before he was Scrooge, he was…” which leaves many scratching their heads. The concept feels like something Krusty the Clown would star in as part of a gag on The Simpsons. This film seems to exist solely because a certain other film did unexpectedly well at the box office, prompting some Hollywood folks to think, “Who’s a public domain character that resembles that and has a recognizable name?” and they landed on Scrooge.

To promote this questionable project, Depp donned his Scrooge attire—sorry, he’s still Ebenezer at this point—and made his way to San Diego Comic-Con. What better time to promote a Christmas movie than in the middle of summer at a convention focused on sci-fi, action, and comic book films?

On Thursday, Depp, in full character, appeared outside a shop designed to resemble Scrooge and Marley’s counting house, grumbling at a large crowd in a British accent that sounded more like a poor imitation than anything authentic. Before disappearing behind a door, he delivered a lackluster “Humbug,” sending the crowd into a frenzy. “He said it!” one fan exclaimed. It’s all quite dismal.

Later, Depp showed up at a random SDCC panel featuring Zach Cregger and hung out for a while. The panel had no connection to Depp or Ebenezer. I can’t help but wonder how many attendees were genuinely excited to see him dressed as a public domain character and how many even understood what was going on.

This marks Depp’s attempt to make a comeback in Hollywood after a tumultuous period filled with trials, abuse allegations, substance issues, and various legal troubles. It’s telling that no one seems willing to hand him a major franchise role like Pirates of the Caribbean again. Star Wars isn’t calling, nor is there a film featuring his face prominently on the poster. Instead, his big return is as Scrooge in a prequel that nobody asked for, all while buried under layers of old man makeup and winter attire. I’d wish him luck, but that wouldn’t be truthful.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to try to shake off this flu-induced haze I seem to be in, given all the absurdity that’s unfolded over the past few… well, years at this point. This can’t be real life, can it?