Fan Expo to Return to the Morial Convention Center
Fan Expo New Orleans will return to Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from January 5-7.
There will be a special preview on Friday, January 5, at 1 p.m. that is available to VIP, Ultimate, and 3-Day pass holders. Tickets, with advanced rates, for this event are on sale now.
Fan Expo is an event full of all things pop culture and includes things for every fandom of different movies, TV shows, music, artists, writers, exhibitors, and cosplay. Also, there will also three days of themed programming for fans to enjoy.
On Friday, the show will begin at 3 p.m. and will end at 8 p.m. On Saturday, festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. On Sunday, the event begins at 10 a.m. and wraps up at 5 p.m. A full schedule of events is available on Fan Expo's HQ calendar.
New Celebrities Added to Fan Expo's Lineup
Stars from The Terminator, Star Trek, and Yellowjackets franchises have been announced to be added to Fan Expo's list of celebrity guests.
Micheal Biehn and Lance Henriksen, both from the original 1984 The Terminator, will be joined by Robert Patrick and Edward Furlong from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Linda Hamilton, who starred in both films, will also be making an appearance.
From the Star Trek universe, Michelle Hurd, Jonathan Frakes, and Sonequa Martin-Green have been added to the celebrity lineup at Fan Expo.
The last celebrity of Fan Expo's announcement is Juliette Lewis who is currently playing a regular role on the Showtime drama, Yellowjackets.
Micheal Biehn is best known for his role in The Terminator as "Kyle Reese," who is sent back in time to defeat the Terminator. Biehn has starred in other James Cameron movies, such as Aliens and The Abyss, which led him to appear in various hits such as Navy Seals, K2, and Tombstone.
Lance Henriksen, who co-starred in The Terminator as the LAPD police officer "Vukovich," had already acted in over 20 TV shows and films. Henriksen has played roles in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Right Stuff, and The A Team. Following his role as "Vukovich," Henriksen's roles got bigger, and since, he has been in more than 250 productions. Henriksen's most recent role is in the Sundance selection Bring on the Dancing Horses.
Robert Patrick played the role of "T-1000" in Judgment Day and this portrayal earned him the nominations of a Saturn Award and an MTV Movie Award. This role was the first significant one of Patrick's career, which has lasted for five decades. In 2023 alone, Patrick has been seen in six productions, most notably being the Paramount+ original 1923 and the Netflix drama series The Night Agent.
Edward Furlong is beloved by many fans for his portrayal of "John Connor" in Judgement Day, which was also his acting debut. Furlong has also had roles in other films like Detroit Rock City, American History X, and The Green Hornet. This year, Furlong played the lead character "Billy," opposite Shelly Duvall and Dee Wallace, in the feature horror film The Forest Hills.
Michelle Hurd has appeared in various films and TV shows, including Star Trek: Picard, where Hurd played "Raffi Musiker," and Blindspot. Hurd's network series roles include runs on 90210, Gossip Girl, and ER. Hurd has also had longer runs on shows such as Leap Years and Law & Order: SVU.
Jonathan Frakes played one of the most iconic characters, "Will Riker," in the Star Trek franchise. This role has brought him up the ranks from "TNG" to Commander, and was done so through the current Paramount+ series Picard. Frakes has directed over 75 episodes in and out of Star Trek. Additionally, Frakes has as played roles such as "Tom Carroll" on the soap opera The Doctors, as well as a role in this year's Hallmark film A Biltmore Christmas.
Juliette Lewis first gained popularity as a teen actress when she starred in I Married Dora, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Cape Fear. Lewis currently plays the role of "Natalie" in Yellowjackets, and this role has earned her the Hollywood Critics Association, as well as other award nominations.
New Celebrities Join Fan Expo's Lineup
Appearing at Fan Expo will also be the four "hobbits" Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan from The Lord of the Rings. Bruce Campbell, from The Evil Dead and Burn Notice, will also be in attendance.
Wood, Astin, Boyd, and Monaghan will be participating in the special live show, "The Four Hobbits: An Unexpected Reunion," on January 6 at 7:30 p.m. During this show, fans will have the opportunity to interact with these stars at an exclusive event filled with stories, questions, discussions, and more. This will be part of the Backstage Pass, which includes an in-person autograph, photo opportunity with all four hobbits, and a "gold ticket" to the reunion show.
Elijah Wood, who portrayed "Frodo Baggins" in The Lord of the Rings, has had many successes in the entertainment industry. These successes include his own record label, Simian Records, and a film production company, SpectreVision/Company X, which has conducted numerous projects. Wood has over 120 TV and film credits.
Sean Astin, who played "Samwise Gamgee" in The Lord of the Rings, has played many iconic roles in his career. Astin's most notable roles include playing "Mickey Walsh" in The Goonies, the title role in Rudy, and the role of "Bob Newby" in Stranger Things. Astin's recent film appearances include Adverse in 2020, Hero Mode in 2021, Charming the Hearts of Men in 2021, and iMordecai in 2022.
Billy Boyd, who played "Pippin Took" in The Lord of the Rings, also played roles in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, On a Clear Day, and The Flying Scotsman. Boyd has also appeared in TV series such as Outlander, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS: Hawaii, Snowfall, as well as iterations of The Lord of the Rings franchise. Boyd has also made appearances in video games and has done voice work for many productions.
Dominic Monaghan, who portrayed "Merry Brandybuck" in The Lord of the Rings, has appeared in over 50 productions. These productions include playing "Charlie Pace" in 77 episodes of NBC's Lost, X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, ABC's Flash Forward, and the lead in the AMC+ series Paul Sarno.
Bruce Campbell first gained popularity for his role of "Ash Williams" in the Evil Dead franchise, appearing as this character in many films and series, including the original move in 1981. Campbell also appeared in Army of Darkness in 1992, the Ash vs. Evil Dead series, and more. Campbell is well-known for his long run in the USA Network series Burn Notice. Additionally, last holiday season, Campbell starred in Hallmark Channel movie My Southern Family Christmas.
New Celebrities Announced to Appear at Fan Expo
Linda Hamilton, Jeff Ward, Peter Weller, Felicia Day, Lana Parrilla, Ethan Suplee, Sonequa Martin-Green and Eman Esfandi will be making guest appearances at Fan Expo New Orleans.
Linda Hamilton first gained attention in 1984 in the film The Terminator. Hamilton followed this role by co-starring opposite Ron Perlman as "Assistant District Attorney Catherine Chandler" in Beauty and the Beast. Hamilton reappeared in her role as "Sarah Connor" in Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Terminator: Dark Fate. Hamilton has over 80 screen credits, including roles on Frasier and the lead role in Lifetime's holiday film Home by Christmas.
Currently, Jeff Ward stars as "Buggy" in Netflix's action series One Piece. Ward had a three-year-run, with 45 episodes, as "Deke Shaw" on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ward also co-starred in Netflix's horror/drama mini-series Brand New Cherry Flavor in 2021. Additionally, in 2016, Ward portrayed "Charles Manson" in Lifetime's TV movie Manson's Lost Girls.
Peter Weller is an accomplished actor, director, voice actor, and an occasional professor. Weller has played roles in over 50 films and TV series with his most notable role being the lead in RoboCop and RoboCop 2. Weller also played the lead role in the 1984 sci-fi film The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.
Felicia Day has played over 100 roles, ranging from TV series to voice acting. Day's highlights include a run of 66 episodes on The Guild and recurring roles on Supernatural and Eureka. Day also had a five-year-run on Mystery Science Theater 3000 and gained fandom exposure for her role as "Vi" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Lana Parrilla has appeared in 156 episodes of ABC's fantasy/adventure series Once Upon a Time between the years of 2011 and 2018 as "The Evil Queen." Parrilla received the award of TV Guide's Favorite Villain for this role, and also numerous award nominations. Additionally, Parrilla has had recurring roles on Spin City, Boomtown, 24 and Windfall. This year, Parrilla co-starred as "Lana Trammell" in the second season of Netflix's The Lincoln Lawyer.
Ethan Suplee has acquired close to 100 screen credits in film and TV roles. Suplee has had roles in comedies, such as the movies Mallrats, Dogma and Clerks III, and in the shows My Name is Earl and Boy Meets World. Additionally, Suplee has played in drama like Remember the Titans and The Butterfly Effect.
From 2012 to 2017, Sonequa Martin-Green played the role of "Sasha Williams" on AMC's The Walking Dead. For the past six years, Martin-Green has portrayed the role of "Michael Burnham" in Star Trek: Discovery. Martin-Green's other screen credits include Space Jam: A New Legacy, as well as recurring roles on Once Upon a Time and The Good Wife.
This year, Eman Esfandi co-starred opposite Rosario Dawson, David Tennant, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead in the Disney+ miniseries Ahsoka, which is part of the Star Wars universe. Esfandi also played roles in King Richard with Will Smith, as well as The Inspection with Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.
Celebrities Coming to Fan Expo
More celebrities have been added to Fan Expo's lineup. These celebrities include Jon Bernthal, Sean Gunn, Peter Cullen, Jason Lee and the duo of Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan.
Jon Bernthal played the lead role of "Frank Castle" in Netflix's Marvel series, Daredevil. Bernthal also had a popular role as "Shane Walsh" on AMC's The Walking Dead. Last year, Bernthal starred in American Gigolo on Showtime. Additionally, Bernthal has made appearances in productions such as World Trade Center, The Pacific, and Rampart. Bernthal's guest appearances include the TV series CSI: Miami, Boston Legal, Without a Trace, and How I Met Your Mother.
Sean Gunn's most notable role was "Kraglin" in Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Gunn also appeared in the movie's sequels in 2017 and this year. Gunn also gave a physical performance in a motion capture for "Rocket Raccoon" in the films, plus Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder. Gunn also portrayed "Kirk Gleason" throughout the seven-year run of Gilmore Girls among his 60+ acting credits.
Voice actor Peter Cullen has played in over 200 films and TV shows, most notably is his portrayal of "Optimus Prime" in the Transformers franchise. Cullen's other popular roles include his roles in Winnie The Pooh, Chip 'n' Dale, The Flintstone Kids, and more.
Jason Lee is a photographer, producer, director, and actor. Lee established a career as a professional skateboarder during the late '80s and early '90s. Lee later pursued acting, which led him to working in film, television, and voiceovers. Lee has worked with the directors Kevin Smith, Lawrence Kasdan, Cameron Crowe, and Rebecca Miller.
Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan were co-stars in the hit show Charmed, which ran for eight seasons. Combs' role as "Piper Halliwell" in the show led to the development of a vast and loyal fanbase. McGowan played alongside Combs as Comb's character's long-lost sister "Paige Matthews" for the last five seasons of the series. In the show, the two witch sisters fought evil in modern-day San Francisco. Combs' breakout role was in the hit series, Picket Fences, appearing in 88 episodes of the show. Then Combs went on to play roles in over 30 TV series and movies, as well as a run on Pretty Little Liars playing the role of "Ella Montgomery." McGowan's acting career took off after her role as "Tatum Riley" in the popular horror film Scream (1996). In the movie, McGowan appeared opposite Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. Today, McGowan has played in over 60 films and shows and has also became an accomplished producer and director.
More Celebrities at NOLA's Fan Expo
A handful more celebrities have been announced to make guest appearances at Fan Expo New Orleans, including, Danny Trejo, Charlie Cox, Vincent D'Onofrio, Katee Sackhoff, and voice actors from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Danny Trejo has a vastly interesting career in the entertainment industry with an unusual journey to success. Trejo, before joining the entertainment industry, faced years of imprisonment and helped troubled youth battle drug addictions. Trejo got involved in entertainment when he began acting and later began producing. Trejo, and his achievements, are widely recognized in Hollywood and elsewhere. Trejo has starred in numerous films, including Desperado, Heat, the From Dusk Till Dawn series, Con Air, Once Upon A Time In Mexico, Spy Kids, Machete, and more.
Guest Charlie Cox has starred in over 40 productions, his most prominent role being when he played as "Matt Murdock" on Daredevil (reprised in She-Hulk and Spider-Man: No Way Home). Cox gained notoriety for his portrayal of "Owen Sleater" in Boardwalk Empire, which is a HBO period drama. Also, Cox played the lead role of "Michael Kinsella" in the AMC+ crime drama series Kin.
Vincent D'Onofrio starred opposite of Cox as "Wilson Fisk" in the Netflix series Daredevil. D'Onofrio has played over 100 different roles, the most popular being when he played the lead detective "Bobby Goren" in NBC's drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Other esteemed film credits of D'Onofrio include Full Metal Jacket, Dying Young, Men in Black, Mystic Pizza, Jurassic World, and The Break Up.
Guest Katee Sackhoff's notable roles include her character "Bo Katan" in The Mandalorian, "Starbuck" on Battlestar Galactica, and a starring role in the A&E series Longmire. Sackhoff gained popularity when she played the role of the pilot in Battlestar and as "Vic Moretti" in the western drama Longmire. Sackhoff also has had recurring roles in 24, Nip/Tuck, CSI, and other hit shows.
The four voice actors from the animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be headlining at the voice acting area at Fan Expo New Orleans. These four actors include Barry Gordon as "Donatello," Cam Clarke as "Leonardo," Townsend Coleman as "Michelango," and Rob Paulsen as "Raphael." These four voice actors appeared in numerous episodes of this beloved classic show.
