Christmas came early to London’s Leicester Square on Monday as Johnny Depp touched down for a red-carpet global premiere of Ebenezer in the company of director Ti West and cast including Rupert Grint, Sam Claflin, Tramell Tillman, Ellie Bamber and Robert Strong.
The red carpet was decked out with Christmas trees and artificial snow while 1950s festive classics blasted out in the backdrop, and if by magic, temperatures dropped, ending an unseasonably balmy autumn.
The chilly conditions did not deter fans who crammed into the red-carpet enclosure, most of them there for a glimpse of Depp. He did not disappoint, arriving in a timely fashion to talk to handpicked media and then walk the fan line.
Depp’s latest role as Ebenezer Scrooge is being billed as the actor’s comeback, after being left out in cold following his high-profile legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard.
Rumors are rife that if Ebenezer performs well, it could help green-light a reboot of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with Depp reprising his Captain Jack Sparrow role.
Whether this comes to pass remains to be seen but it was plain to see on Monday night that Depp was the main draw, with the public at least appearing to have moved on.
Talking to Deadline on the red carpet, West said he and Depp had bonded over a shared love of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ as well as admiration for Alastair Sim’s performance as Ebenezer Scrooge in an 1951 adaptation.
´Ebenezer’ director Ti West talks on casting Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge: “He [Depp] was obsessed with Scrooge since he was a little kid. When he found out about the movie, he was like, ‘Alistair Sims is a huge reason why I’m even an actor.’” pic.twitter.com/A2zFDV8J5r
“I’ve been obsessed with it since I was little kid. I would read it every Christmas, and I was into it because it was a ghost story and then I saw the George C. Scott film when I was really little and Marley really scared me,” he said referring to Clive Donner’s 1984 version.
“I’ve had a fascination of it and a version in my head that I was waiting for someone to make that they didn’t make. What’s also cool about it is that it’s one of the rare stories that because it’s so enduring, redoing it, is part of the charm,” he said.
West said Depp had approached him about the role when he heard the production was in the works.
“He was obsessed with Scrooge since when he was a little kid also which I didn’t know and so when he found about the movie he was like, ‘Alastair Sim is a huge reason why I am even an actor.’ It was a weird cosmic thing where it was meant to be,” said West.
Depp confirmed West’s account in a public interview ahead of heading inside the cinema.
“I adored it as a child and to this day I know there is no better person to play Ebenezer Scrooge than Alastair Sim… the challenge is to find another angle,” said Depp, praising West for creating a atmosphere on set in which there was space to experiment with the role.
Johnny Depp talks childhood obsession with ‘A Christmas Carol’ and Ebenezer Scrooge at the ‘Ebenezer’ premiere in London pic.twitter.com/hnRAOiODqS
Not surprisingly, given West’s horror filmography, there is a gothic horror to feel to the adaptation, giving the work an extra frisson that goes beyond past big screen versions.
Ellie Bamber, who plays Ebenezer’s long lost love, that it also remains very much a family film. “It’s still very Christmassy with a hint of fright.”
‘Ebenezer’ star Ellie Bamber discusses Ti West’s gothic horror take on Charles Dickens classic: “It’s still very Christmassy with a hint of fright.” pic.twitter.com/EzT3xoTHKa
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