J. R.R. Tolkien wrote that “hobbits must seem of little importance,” but The Lord of the Rings fans at the Edmonton Expo this year might disagree after meeting four of them. Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins), Sean Astin (Samwise Gamgee), Dominic Monaghan (Meriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck) and Billy Boyd (Peregrin “Pippin” Took) will all be guest stars at the Edmonton Expo in September. “It truly is a one of a kind opportunity to see some movie magic come together on stage in front of you,” said Andrew Moyes, the vice president of Fan Expo HQ. The four actors who made their debuts as the Shirelings in 2001’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring will have autograph signings, photo ops and do a special reunion panel. “Fans get the opportunity to hear behind-the-scenes insights about what happened when they were working together making the movies, and then they just get up to some good old fashioned fun,” Moyes said. “You never quite know what’s going to happen up on that stage. So you’ve got to be in the room to be a part of it.” The hobbits will only be at the expo on Sunday. In addition to the Middle Earth quartet, a number of other celebrity guests, voice actors and comic creators will be at the expo, including Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown - Back to the Future), Catherine Tate (Donna Noble - Doctor Who) and George Newbern (Superman - Justice League). Hundreds of artists and retailers will also have items for sale and fans can take part in cosplay competitions at the event. “There’ll be lots of hands-on activities for the kids, and there’ll be lots of behind-the-scenes workshops and different things for everyone to get involved in,” Moyes said. The Edmonton Expo runs Sept. 19 - 21, tickets are available online.
