The Tale of Ebenezer Scrooge Gets Dark in FX’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ Movie.

The classic Christmas tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old man who gets visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve gets a darker and more chilling tale in the new mini-series. Back in November of 2017, it was announced that BBC commissioned to retell the tale by Charles Dickens.

The movie will debut in the United Kingdom and the Unites States, on FX, in December of this year. Steven Knight is the writer of the three-part series. Tom Hardy (Venom) and Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) would be some of the shows executive producers.

Nick Murphy from ‘The Awakening’ is directing the series. It was later revealed that Tom Hardy would also be starring in the show, but the character he is playing is still unknown. FX describes the show, “a spine-tingling immersion into Ebenezer Scrooge’s dark night of the soul”.

‘A Christmas Carol’ is a classic during the holidays and has been remade on screen and on stage multiple times. It’s a story of an old man who detests Christmas and is visited by the ghosts of the past, present and future.

By showing Scrooge his past, present and future, as well as a visit by his former business partner Jacob Marley, his once cold and bitter heart starts to melt and becomes a kinder human being. The tale gets a dark twist compared to the previous film versions.

Set in a dark poverty-ridden London in the 1800s, the shows visuals become gritty and chilling. Most film adaptations of Dickens' story have a more whimsical and holiday effect to it. Imagine Jim Carrey’s portrayal in the 2009 film and then imagine the near opposite for the FX version.

Guy Pearce would play the grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge. Stephen Graham will play Jacob Marley, Charlotte Riley as Ghost of Christmas Present and Lottie, Scrooge’s sister. Joe Alwyn as Scrooge’s underpaid clerk, Bob Cratchit. Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come will be played by English actor Jason Flemyng.

Dutch actor Rutger Hauer was meant to originally play the part but became ill. Andy Serkis (Black Panther) was cast to play the Ghost of Christmas Past but wasn’t keen on playing the character. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he remembers asking, “Do we really need another one? But this is the most amazing piece. It felt very contemporary and fresh.”