Johnny Depp's Hollywood comeback in 'Ebenezer' comes with one catch, PR pros say

Johnny Depp became a family name playing misunderstood monsters, eccentrics, and Disney-friendly scallywags, but in the final few years, Hollywood has turned him into a distinct kind of outcast.

"Ebenezer," distributed by Paramount Pictures, is Depp's archetypal important Hollywood characteristic since he sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard, in 2019 for publishing an composition concerning domestic abuse, extensively assumed to depict her association alongside Depp (which he denied), and the bomb defamation test that followed.

Jurors established the two Depp and Heard liable for defamation, and they reached a settlement in 2022 — although not before testimonies and documents entered into evidence exposed disturbing details, from a photo of feces on the couple's shared bed (Depp blamed Heard, during Heard blamed their dog), to texts that Depp wrote concerning burning and drowning his ex-wife, and having sex alongside her "burnt corpse" (Depp stated he's "not proud" of the messages, which he described as "dark humor").

Depp's expert position had suffered blows lengthy before he took the stand. He lost a akin libel case in 2020 after the British newspaper The Sun called him a "wife-beater," and was subsequently ousted from lucrative franchise roles in the next installment of the "Harry Potter" spin-off movie series, "Fantastic Beasts," and "Pirates of the Caribbean 6." Before that, Depp was mired in complex lawful battles alongside his erstwhile endeavor partners complete his admittedly lavish spending. Rumors swirled concerning Depp's tardiness and unprofessionalism on set amid a series of box-office flops.

But the years have passed, and Hollywood may be carefully welcoming Depp rear into the fold. Many thousands of Depp supporters have stayed staunchly, outspokenly loyal to the star. Social media reactions to the defamation test were overwhelmingly sympathetic to Depp amid reports of a targeted smear campaign to discredit Heard. By the period the genuine jurors handed downward their judgment, it looked akin Depp had already been vindicated online.

"Ebenezer" is positioned as Depp's big Hollywood comeback, complete alongside a splashy promotion run and top-line billing for its embattled star.

"The Master of Misfits returns," one of the studio's taglines declares, alongside promotion materials example a association between the film's heading character and the man who "brought us Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, and The Mad Hatter."

Yet "Ebenezer" isn't fair another misfit function for Depp to add to his résumé. Scrooge's near-two-century existence in the pop-culture canon is evidence that audiences affection a redemption story. Is Depp concerning to get his?

Paramount is certainly manifesting it. The archetypal attempt of Depp in character as Scrooge in the "Ebenezer" teaser trailer breaks the fourth wall, as Depp delivers his row to the camera alongside a knowing expression: "It's fine to be back."

Depp's way to redemption depends on his business value

Casting Depp in "Ebenezer" was a wager for Paramount, but a cheaper wager than one power imagine. Where Depp formerly fetched $25 myriad up forefront for 2017's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," the total prosperity for "Ebenezer" was $38 million. The New York Times reported that Depp accepted a reduced pay of approximately $5 myriad in toggle for a larger portion of the proceeds if the movie performs at the box office. In another words, for an established movie star, he was a steal.

Representatives for Depp and Paramount did not react to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Paramount is certainly throwing its importance rearward "Ebenezer," alongside the presumed anticipation it volition pay off in ticket sales. Depp has appeared in complete Charles Dickens drag — top hat, overcoat, dense prosthetics — for multiple promotional stunts, from New York's Bryant Park holiday market to San Diego's Comic-Con, anywhere he drew an adoring crowd. According to The New York Times, one female equal called out to him, "Have my baby!"

The movie's trailers and posters have relied heavily on name acknowledgment for the performer and the character, betting on audiences to re-embrace both. As far as the promo is concerned, Depp and Scrooge are one and the same: a man alongside his feet to the fire, seeking salvation.

"The studio is trying to test the public's willingness to clasp Johnny Depp again following all of the individual crises," stated Tara Goodwin, originator of Goodwin Consulting and a emergency PR veteran. "This is allowing him, through the character Ebenezer, to be judged by his activity fairly than in a court of law or the court of community opinion."

"One movie, one PR stunt, does not rebuild a reputation," she added. "But it does alter the conversation from his individual narrative to his expert one."

Will that be adequate to get butts in seats? As PR professionals have told me complete and over, the community is additional forgiving than you think — particularly if the community fig in inquiry has nostalgia to leverage.

"Johnny Depp, his fans go rear 40 years. They motionless recall him as the kid on '21 Jump Street.' In a lot of ways, he's a sign of Generation X," stated Ryan McCormick, cofounder and managing partner at Goldman McCormick PR. "Some of his iconic roles automatically drag group into a distinct era of time, akin whenever they were younger and perchance whenever the earth wasn't so insane or intense."

In that sense, Scrooge is the ideal character for Depp: a acquainted visage who learns to value the generosity of others. He's the worldwide shorthand for second chances.

'Ebenezer' doesn't have to be great, as lengthy as it makes money

According to first reviews from critics — including this one — "Ebenezer" isn't a awesome movie; it currently holds a 49% critics mark on Rotten Tomatoes at the period of publication. Helmed by fear director Ti West, it's meant to be a spookier-than-usual adaptation of Dickens' traditional novella. I established it to be insipid and tedious, caught location between a trite Christmas parable and a Halloween fright fest.

Your opinion of Depp's achievement volition depend on your tolerance for hammy commitment, as a prosthetic-laden Depp gesticulates and mugs his way through a sequence of ghostly encounters — plainly attempting to recapture the smarmy charm of Jack Sparrow, reincarnated as a 19th-century grump.

But critics' assessments apt won't matter to Depp or any studios eyeing him for employment. Negative reviews are small potatoes if the theaters are crowded and the box agency returns are strong.

"It's the group that create the difference. It's not the critics," Goodwin said.

If the group akin it, Hollywood seems consenting to employ Depp again. Sources told NBC News that a new "Pirates 6" manuscript featuring the come back of Depp as Sparrow has been kicked about at Disney. Studio executives are reportedly waiting to see how "Ebenezer" is received before giving "Pirates 6" the green light.

In the meantime, Depp already has his next movie lined up: "Day Drinker," a thriller costarring Depp's old companion Penélope Cruz, volition be released by Lionsgate in March.

Mia Moody, a prof in the Department of Journalism, Public Relations, and New Media at Baylor University and an expert in Image Repair Theory, accepted alongside Goodwin and McCormick that the forthcoming of Depp's comeback volition depend heavily on the box office. The meta-narrative of "Ebenezer" as long-standing gospel — that no one, not equal the bah-humbuggiest among us, is beyond redemption — is mostly a bonus.

"Hollywood is distinct in broad whenever you're looking at depiction repair, since it's not necessarily governed by ethical consensus. It's additional governed by business viability," Moody said. "So if Johnny Depp can have a hit and if his movie can create money, afterward that's the base line."