Fan Expo Denver features dozens of film, TV celebrities, sci-fi, anime, gaming, cosplay events
The number of celebrities at Fan Expo Denver will rival that of the Emmy Awards.
If you’re a fan of “The X-Files,” “The Lord of the Rings,” “Scream,” “Lost,” “The Goonies” or “The Boys,” you’ll be in parasocial heaven.
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, of “The X-Files” fame, will reunite for the first time in almost a decade, along with the rest of their cast.
Also set to appear are Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and Dominic Monaghan from “Lord of the Rings”; Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich and Jamie Kennedy from “Scream”; and Joe Pantoliano, Corey Feldman and Kerri Green from “Goonies.”
Many of them will be available for photos, autographs and selfies, for a price, of course. And some will do Q&A sessions.
Anime voice actors, gaming stars, comic creators, cosplayers, authors and others will also be on site and participate in workshops, panels and other events.
The expo runs noon-8 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St. Tickets are $30-$170 and $15 for ages 6-12. Go online to fanexpohq.com/fanexpodenver.
The event also features vendors and special interest groups, such as the Denver Astromech Builder’s Club, a niche club for those interested in building droids, robots and anything that looks like it would live within the “Star Wars” universe, such as R2D2 and BB-8 droids.
Club member Eric Olsen spent two-and-a-half years building his R2D2. It will be one of at least three homemade R2D2s at the expo.
His droid boasts a number of upgrades, such as the ability to wave his utility arms, spray a fire extinguisher out of its panel, transition between two and three legs and launch a lightsaber 20 feet. It also makes beeps, boops and whistles, some sad and some happy-sounding, depending on how Olsen wants him to respond.
“It’s quite a technical challenge,” Olsen said. “You have to learn different skills, like fit and fabrication, programming, remote control and electronics. There’s no kit, no instructions. You can’t buy a model. It’s like walking into a parts store to build a car, and you just have to figure it out with no instructions.”