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Karl Urban to be a headliner at Northern FanCon

Northern FanCon has gone almost as southern as a Canadian pop-culture festival can go. The first headliner announced for the spring celebrity showcase is a New Zealand star of film and television, and a screen hero right in the FanCon wheelhouse.
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Actor Karl Urban attends a special screening of Star Trek Beyond at the Crosby Street Hotel on July 18 in New York.

Northern FanCon has gone almost as southern as a Canadian pop-culture festival can go. The first headliner announced for the spring celebrity showcase is a New Zealand star of film and television, and a screen hero right in the FanCon wheelhouse.

He came to global prominence via a pair of TV series: Xena, Warrior Princess and Hercules.

He was a prominent part of the legendary Lord Of The Rings franchise, and he is an even more prominent part of the even more legendary Star Trek franchise.

His most recent trip to the silver screen is a co-starring role in the new Disney remake of Pete's Dragon playing around the world right now.

He is the high profile - galaxies high - Karl Urban.

When he dons the uniform of Starfleet Command and takes his position on the Starship Enterprise in the newly rebooted Star Trek universe, he plays none other than ship's doctor "Bones" McCoy, one of the most popular characters in screen history.

Hardly confined to a single signature role, though, Urban is also in the latest film to portray dystopian comic book lawman Judge Dredd.

In it, Urban plays Dredd himself, a testament to this international heartthrob's capabilities as a leading man.

The audience response to the film (particularly to the performances by Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Wood Harris and villain Lena Headey) has put the character back on the public map.

Urban was born and raised in Wellington, where he established his desires to be involved in acting early.

He parlayed early stage and regional television experiences into a move to Auckland where the busy New Zealand screen arts industry is headquartered.

It wasn't long before his training and talent led him into increasingly prominent work.

A recurring role on the TV series Shark In The Park was something of a breakthrough for him, and next came his dual roles of Julius Caesar/Cupid that began on the globally popular series Hercules, The Legendary Journeys and carried into its spinoff series Xena, Warrior Princess

He was dotting the show-biz landscape with films like Price Of Milk, Out Of The Blue, Ghost Ship, and they just kept coming and growing in prominence: The Bourne Supremacy, Chronicles Of Riddick, video game movie Doom, and popular culture really took notice of Urban when he was shortlisted to be James Bond.

The part eventually went to Daniel Craig but Urban's warm consolation was landing the role of valiant Eomer, Prince of Rohan in the latter two Lord Of The Rings films.

After that, the sky wasn't even the limit as the Star Trek opportunity came calling.

Following that, he got a leading role in the sci-fi police series Almost Human, the steamy who-done-it movie The Loft with co-stars Wentworth Miller and James Marsden in the ensemble cast. Starring opposite hall-of-fame actor Robert Redford in a Disney classic came to pass with his casting in Pete's Dragon.

He is such a hot Hollywood commodity right now, he has become a scourge.

Scratch that, he has become Skurge. Again he has been called into comic book action, and this time it's going to be an outright blockbuster.

Urban is listed among the headliners of the cast of the upcoming Marvel film Thor: Ragnarok alongside Idris Elba, Anthony Hopkins, Cate Blachett, Tom Hiddleston, Sam Neill and of course Thor lead Chris Hemsworth (the latter two also from those lands down-under). Northern FanCon happens in spring, and the movie will come out in fall, making Urban's appearance in Prince George particularly resonant.

The character of Skurge is an Asgardian warrior with shaved head and rippling muscles.

Will Urban be true to that form when he strides onto the stage to meet local fans?

Which will be more charming, his smoldering good looks or his kiwi accent?

Thanks to Citizen Special Events, Unltd Media & Events and Northland Dodge, the Prince George public can meet him up close, ask him questions, get photos and autographs, and judge for themselves.

Just don't, please, Judge Dredd, leave that to the silver screen professionals.