@TheOldJalapenoman​, I will likely see it anyway, as I watch just about everything that is notable, good and bad. Plus, I want to see film mostly for its all-star cast. I did read this take on his performance, but I guess it could be biased, as I wouldn't expect the director to disparage his own film, at least  prior to its opening in theaters. No reviews yet on MetaCritic yet.

Johnny Depp's Ebenezer Director Has Some Serious Praise For His Performance As Scrooge

Depp is making his Hollywood return in the Christmas Classic.  

Johnny Depp's work in Tim Burton movies is legendary, as is his tenure as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription). But in recent years the acclaimed character actor has become synonymous with his relationship with Amber Heard, and their messy divorce proceedings. Since then he's largely stepped away from the limelight, but his Hollywood returning is coming as the title character of Ti West's Ebenezer. And the filmmaker recently gushed about what Depp brought to the table as Scrooge.  While Johnny Depp acted in Jeanne du Barry, Ebenezer is a much higher profile project that will bring him back to the big screen in The States. During an interview with EW, West went above and beyond praising the 63 year-old actor, offering:  

I have seen previews for the Johnny Depp film "Ebeneezer."  Unfortunately, it looks horrible!  I know that is one I will not be seeing even when it comes to television.  He may be worse as Scrooge than Jim Carrey was.  

Depp is making his Hollywood return in the Christmas Classic.  Johnny Depp as Ebenezer Scrooge tipping his hat in Ebenezer.  (Image credit: Paramount Pictures)  0 Follow us Newsletter Johnny Depp's work in Tim Burton movies is legendary, as is his tenure as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films (which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription). But in recent years the acclaimed character actor has become synonymous with his relationship with Amber Heard, and their messy divorce proceedings. Since then he's largely stepped away from the limelight, but his Hollywood returning is coming as the title character of Ti West's Ebenezer. And the filmmaker recently gushed about what Depp brought to the table as Scrooge.  While Johnny Depp acted in Jeanne du Barry, Ebenezer is a much higher profile project that will bring him back to the big screen in The States. During an interview with EW, West went above and beyond praising the 63 year-old actor, offering:  He’s the movie, really. The Dickensian dialogue has a certain musicality to it, and I just think Johnny has that cadence and that musicality to the way that he performs. And I thought, ‘I don’t know if he’d ever want to do it.’ And so we sent it over and he also coincidentally happened to be obsessed with it his whole life. 

It sounds like we're going to get a pretty accurate book to screen adaptation of A Christmas Carol, at least where the dialogue is concerned. West went on to share how Depp crushed this part of the gig, saying:

The musicality is what is in the performance. And he brings a different thing to it than anyone else has done. It’s uniquely him, but it’s also very reverent of the text. He has a way of hitting all of the classic Scrooge moments that make him an unlikable guy, but there’s a certain sense of humor and charm to it as well. In other adaptations, Scrooge is kind of an asshole, and then the rest of the characters are benevolent, perfect people. And it was really our goal to try to balance that out to say that there’s much more of a gray area in the story. We want to give Scrooge logic and a good argument, so when he is making an argument about something, he’s not wrong.

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that Johnny Depp brought something original to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge, especially considering how he put his spin on wild characters like Edward Scissorhands, Jack Sparrow, and Willy Wonka.