Depp’s last big gig was “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the second chapter of Warner Bros.’ lame “Harry Potter” spin-off series that he was unceremoniously fired from after he lost a 2020 libel case against Britain’s Sun newspaper, which called him a “wife-beater” in a story.

A Christmas Carol for Paramount Pictures. Depp would play the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge, following in the footsteps of the likes of Bill Murray, Michael Caine, and Jim Carrey.