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Well, Johnny Depp is back. Following two widely publicized trials<\/a> against his ex-wife Amber Heard<\/a> that dealt with claims of domestic violence and defamation, it appeared, for a time, that the 62-year-old actor was written off by major studios. However, there\u2019s a cosmic, mathematical formula for semi-cancelled celebrities\u2014something like (x) time away divided by (y) talent level in your field\u2014and the equation decided that 2026 marks the Pirates of the Caribbean <\/em>star’s return to Hollywood.<\/p>\n Next year, Depp plans to \u201cbah humbug\u201d his way back into Hollywood with a new adaptation of Charles Dickens\u2019s The Christmas Carol<\/em>. The classic tale follows a miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge who discovers the errors of his ways following a visit from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future.<\/p>\n You could say Depp shares a little something in common with ol\u2019 Scrooge, but the actor didn\u2019t seem interested in the whole comeback narrative when he talked to reporters in 2023. \u201cEverything the majority of you have been reading for the past five or six years regarding my life is fantastically, horrifically written fiction,\u201d he told the LA Times<\/a><\/em> after his French film Jeanne du Barry<\/em> premiered at Cannes Film Festival to one of the program\u2019s patented seven-minute standing ovations. “I\u2019ve had about 17 comebacks, and I don\u2019t understand it because I didn\u2019t go anywhere,\u201d he continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a bizarre mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n Ti West (MaXXXine<\/em>) is signed on to direct the film for Paramount, titled Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol<\/em>. According to Deadline<\/a><\/em>, Ian McKellen, Tramell Tillman<\/a>, and Andrea Riseborough are also cast in undisclosed roles. The film is due out on November 13, 2026\u2014a bit earlier than Christmas.<\/p>\n Depp will also star in an upcoming 2026 action film titled Day Drinker<\/em>, which is directed by Marc Webb and costars Pen\u00e9lope Cruz. Plus, as Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/em> reported in August, he\u2019s even in talks with Pirates of the Caribbean<\/em> producer Jerry Bruckheimer to return for a sixth installment in the franchise. “If he likes the way the part\u2019s written, I think he would do it,” Bruckheimer said. \u201cWe want to make it. We just got to get the right screenplay. We haven\u2019t quite gotten there yet, but we\u2019re close.\u201d<\/p>\n So, it seems the curtains will open for Depp next year. But will fans show up for him? His new Christmas Carol <\/em>adaptation is already up against a tough, direct competitor. Horror director Robert Eggers (Nosferatu<\/a><\/em>) is planning to helm a Christmas Carol <\/em>film for Warner Bros. starring Willem Dafoe.<\/p>\n