Northern FanCon has beamed some new ideas into the Prince George hyperspace.
The pop-culture convention is still going to be an unprecedented gathering of celebrities, artists, writers, film and music professionals, comic and toy enthusiasts, and a costume player (cosplay) wonderland, but this coming edition is the fifth anniversary of the all-local fan fair, so event director Norm Coyne wanted it to be special.
"It's now not so much an event as a legacy," he said on Thursday when the first celebrity headliner for this coming year was announced.
That personality came directly from popular demand.
"We have a poll each year to find out who local people want to see, and this guest was the third most requested name, he was one of the stars people are always asking for, and this year we worked it out to get him here," Coyne said. "We are very proud and excited to announce Alan Tudyk, who was in Con Man, he was in Firefly, he was K-2SO in Rogue One, his list of credits is just amazing. The collective gross for his films is more than $2 billion."
He is appealing to the fans of movie drama, but also gamers and animation fans because of his voice-over work. He reprised his K-2SO role in the Star Wars: Battlefront video game, as well as Master Of Orion: Conquer The Stars, Infinite Crisis, Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and many more console franchises.
In animation circles he starred in the Chozen series, the Ice Age films, Big Hero 6, Wreck-It Ralph, Astro Boy, Good Vibes, Young Justice, Trip Tank, The Adventures of Puss in Boots, The Tick, American Dad, Robot Chicken and, speaking of fowl, he was also HeiHei the trusty clucker in Moana.
His voice is constantly being altered for his cartoon roles, but fans of film also have familiarity for his face, as Van Wayne in Powerless, as Wray Nerely in Con Man, as Reagan in Newsreaders, as Pastor Veal in Arrested Development, as Officer Elwood in Napoleon Dynamite, as Doc Potter in 3:10 To Yuma, as Wat in A Knight's Tale and perhaps most of all as Wash in Firefly.
Also coming to this year's Northern FanCon celebrity roster, the return of pop culture commentator and YouTube personality Ming Chen, cosplay star Ivy Doomkitty, and master costume creator and film industry personality Evil Ted whose credits include The Walking Dead and The Fifth Element, as well as being a leader in the cosplay industry.
This year's Northern FanCon will be held on a new date, which capitalizes on the Star Wars aspect of popular culture.
It will take over CN Centre on May the Fourth.
Tickets go on sale today. Until Nov. 6 the three-day pass can be purchased for $50 and the VIP pass for $175, deep discounts on the regular price that will kick in as of Nov. 7. This sale is a prime time to get Christmas gifts of FanCon passes for the fan in your family.
