‘All hands on deck’: Celebrity wrangling continues as this year’s Calgary Expo draws near

Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan from 'The Lord of the Rings' are all set to appear at the 2026 Calgary Expo. (Supplied/Fan Expo/Bill Waters)

The celebrity guest list for the 2026 Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo is nearing its final form.

In recent days, Expo has announced “the daughter of a retired baseball player and a Charmed One with the power of premonition.”

Alyssa Milano, who played Samantha Micelli on Who’s the Boss? and Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed, will appear the Saturday (April 25) of this year’s show.

And Temuera Morrison from The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett will appear three of the four days (April 24-26).

Expo said, “If you live in Calgary and have a bounty on your head, sleep with one eye open because Boba Fett is headed your way.”

Stargate’s Christopher Judge has also been announced for April 24-26.

And Catherine Bell of The Good Witch, previously announced for April 25 and 26, will now also appear on April 23 and 24.

Andrew Moyes, FanExpoHQ vice-president, told CTV News on Monday, “This is when things really start to come together for our team, with Calgary Expo just days away.”

“From confirming which celebrity guests will join the POW! Parade of Wonders to gathering fan questions for on-stage panels, it’s all hands on deck as we finalize the details,” he said.

Moyes called this year’s lineup “an exciting mix of legendary icons and new stars across a wide range of fandoms.”

“Right up to the final moments, we’re focused on making this the best experience possible for fans,” he said.

Expo’s recent additions are joining a celebrity guest list that features four hobbits making the long trek to Calgary.

The Lord of the Rings’ Elijah Wood (April 25), Sean Astin (April 25 and 26), Billy Boyd (April 25) and Dominic Monaghan (April 25 and 26) are all set to appear.

John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli in the trilogy, will also appear (April 23-26).

For some time, Wood, Astin, Boyd and Monaghan have been doing shows on the FanExpo circuit.

“At the heart of it all are those once-in-a-lifetime moments—like the opportunity to see the four original hobbits together, celebrating 25 years since The Lord of the Rings first captured audiences around the world," Moyes said.

In a previous interview, Moyes told CTV News Wood, Astin, Boyd and Monaghan always something special.

He said, “I look forward to every show they’re at.”

Other celebrity guests attending include:

• Star Trek’s William Shatner (April 24 and 25);
• Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Gates McFadden and Brent Spiner (April 24-26);
• Harry Potter’s Oliver and James Phelps, Bonnie Wright and Matthew Lewis (April 25 and 26);
• Smallville’s Tom Welling and Erica Durance (April 24-26);
• Star Wars’ Anthony Daniels (April 24-26) and Brendan Wayne (April 25 and 26);
• Supernatural’s DJ Qualls and Samantha Smith (April 23-26);
• The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes (April 25 and 26);
• Hocus Pocus’ Jason Marsden, Vinessa Shaw and Omri Katz (April 23-26);
• Lost’s Josh Holloway and Henry Ian Cusick (April 25 and 26);
• Once Upon a Time’s Colin O’Donoghue (April 25 and 26);
• Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris (April 25 and 26);
• The Walking Dead’s Steven Ogg (April 23-26); and
• Battlestar Galactica’s Alessandro Juliani (April 23-26).

Like any event involving aligning stars, Expo has had to keep up with some cancellations of appearances.

A reunion of the Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys won’t happen at this year’s show.

Most of The Goonies are gone, too.

Expo said Corey Feldman and the more recently announced Jamison Newlander “will be visiting New York for opening night of the brand-new Lost Boys musical on Broadway."

The duo has committed to coming to Calgary in 2027, however.

Expo said they “look forward to seeing everyone next year.”

Kerri Green of The Goonies pulled out as well, which followed a previous announcement saying Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano and Martha Plimpton were unable to make it “due to filming and schedule changes.”

Other celebrity guest cancellations include:

• Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville);
• Manny Jacinto (The Acolyte);
• Cara Buono (Stranger Things); and
• Mike Colter (Luke Cage).

Expo said those with photo ops or other paid experiences affected by cancellations will be contacted.

More information is available at fanexpohq.com/calgaryexpo.

Tickets are available through that link as well.