BAH HUMBUG

Johnny Depp Lands First Big Movie Role Since Defamation Trial

The actor is returning to the big screen as an iconic Christmas villain.

Johnny Depp is making his making his big acting comeback as the star of Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol after his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard. The estranged couple’s public feud began when Heard, 39, wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she claimed she was a survivor of domestic abuse. Though Heard did not name a perpetrator, Depp, 62, initiated a defamation case claiming that the op-ed implied he was an abuser. The Pirates of the Caribbean star walked away from the trial with $14 million in damages; Heard was awarded $2 million in damages. Now, the Golden Globe winner will be back on the big screen in the Charles Dickens adaptation directed by Ti West (X, Pearl, and Maxxxine). The logline describes it as “a thrilling ghost story… following one man’s supernatural journey to face his past, present, and future and fight for a second chance.” Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough is expected to a co-star in the film, which is set for release by Paramount on November 13, 2026.