Taking place this weekend between March 17-19, 2023 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto Comicon once again is back drawing big crowds in a celebration of Fandom! Taking place in the Cente’s North Building, fans came out in a year that saw even more focus on family activities at the event which coincides with March Break.
New this year were events like Poké-Sunday, a full day dedicated to the love of Pokémon; the Great Toronto Comicon Baby Race, pitting youngsters on the cosplay red carpet in a race for speed; The Mandalorian star Emily Swallow hosting a Celeb Karaoke Party. There was even a Toronto Comicon Lightsaber Battle! An unapologetic geek-out.
In addition to giving fans a chance to meet their favourite Artists in the Artist Alley, getting a chance to obtain rare commissions, and a chance to buy cool memorabilia from vendors, Toronto Comicon is about starpower. Attending the festivities this year were the likes of Andy Serkis, Scott Patterson, Sean Gunn, Robbie Amell, Carlos Valdes, Danielle Panabaker, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell and several more.
One of the hottest tickets at Toronto Comicon this year was the Panel by the Cast of Prime Video‘s THE BOYS – the streaming service’s #1 show. Our George Kozera was lucky enough to attend and gives us the scoop!
“The exuberance from THE BOYS Cast (Jack Quaid, Claudia Doumit, Karen Fukuhara, Laz Alonso) during the panel interview was infectious. Whether it was their favourite places to eat in Toronto while shooting the wildly-popular Series, with shout-outs to North of Brooklyn for pizza, Burger Drops in Liberty Village and Otto’s Berlin Doner in Kensington Market to name a few, Fukuhara’s lament was the inability to buy Mott’s Clamato in the U.S.. They gave away no secrets about the upcoming season four of this Emmy Award television show. We even heard Quaid reminding himself out loud before hopping on-stage, to not reveal anything about Season Four! He did however, admit that one scene was so particularly gruesome that he had to turn his head away while watching. That should get everyone’s motor running at full speed!”.
A Reel of Highlights:
Some Snaps:
You haven’t missed-out! Toronto Comicon is on for one more day and this is chance to put August’s Fan Expo Toronto on your map as well. That event promises to be an even bigger bash. More details on Toronto Comicon here.
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/George Kozera)
Toronto Comicon, presented by FAN EXPO Canada, is back and bigger than ever! Toronto’s annual pop culture convention returns with an epic assembly of special guests that brings together heroes, villains, and vigilantes from the worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, comics, and more for three days of non-stop entertainment. From Grogu to Yoda, fans of all ages can interact with stars from their favourite franchises and enjoy celebrity panels, autograph & photo opportunities, and programming for the whole family. This year, Toronto Comicon will be moving into the North Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre during March Break, from March 17-19, 2023.
“We have incredible guests coming this year, in our biggest Toronto Comicon lineup ever,” said Andrew Moyes, Vice President, FAN EXPO HQ. “From iconic characters to scary villains, to the heroes even the littlest fanatics look up to, there’s someone exciting here for fans of all genres and ages this March Break.”
Things are about to get diabolical, as Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Claudia Doumit from The Boys head to Toronto Comicon; along with actor, director, and motion capture maestro Andy Serkis; Guardians of the Galaxy’s arrow-wielding Sean Gunn; The Mandalorian’s beskar forger Emily Swallow; occult detective Matt Ryan from Constantine; Robbie Amell, Danielle Panabaker, and Carlos Valdes from The Flash; Stars Hollow’s favourite diner owner Scott Patterson of Gilmore Girls; and Task Force X’s own Mr. John Economos Steve Agee.
TORONTO COMICON 2022 GUESTS INCLUDE:
ANDY SERKIS (Andor, The Batman, Black Panther, The Lord of the Rings)
KARL URBAN (The Boys, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings)
JACK QUAID (The Boys, Scream, Star Trek: Lower Decks)
JESSIE T. USHER (The Boys, Smile, Shaft)
LAZ ALONSO (The Boys, Avatar)
TOMER CAPONE (The Boys)
KAREN FUKUHARA (The Boys, Suicide Squad)
CLAUDIA DOUMIT (The Boys, Timeless, Call of Duty)
STEVE AGEE (Peacemaker, The Suicide Squad)
SEAN GUNN (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, Gilmore Girls)
SCOTT PATTERSON (Gilmore Girls, Saw)
EMILY SWALLOW (The Mandalorian, Supernatural)
ROBBIE AMELL (The Flash)
DANIELLE PANABAKER (The Flash)
CARLOS VALDES (The Flash)
MATT RYAN (Constantine, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Assassin’s Creed IV)
More information including guests information, tickets, and pricing for Toronto Comicon is available at fanexpohq.com/comicontoronto.
Follow @FANEXPOCanada for more guest and programing updates over the coming weeks.
While we await the arrival of the fourth season of THE BOYS, here is a little sunshine for your Family Day weekend! How cool was it spotting the Cast of Prime Video‘s #1-rated Series out for brunch on Dundas West? So lucky to see Antony Starr (Homelander), Erin Moriarty (Annie January), Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko Miyashiro), Jack Quaid (Hughie Campbell) and others (we can’t say who as we were asked not to mention as it would mean a spoiler alert). A fifth season recently was just announced last week, and filming of the fourth season wraps late March.
I was just leaving lunch and low and behold, they were righ in-front of me! How amazing was this? Though they were in a bit of a rush, they were still happy to stop for a quick snap!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Happy New Year! It’s great to see productions gearing-up again after a holiday hiatus! THE BOYS stars Jack Quaid and Colby Minifie are back and ready to pick-up again on the popular Prime Video series, which is now filming its fourth season.
The son of Hollywood royalty Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan continues to see his career flourish and we got to see him in SCREAM last year, in addition to the third season of THE BOYS. He reprises his role as Hughie Campbell once again and the season wraps production late March. Above this, we will see Quaid this year in Christopher Nolan‘s long-anticipated, Oppenheimer this July.
Minifie has been seeing her role of Ashley Barrett expand over the seasons. She’s had a long, lasting career starring in several fan favourites like Jessica Jones, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Fear the Walking Dead. Over the Pandemic, we saw her in Charlie Kaufman‘s acclaimed I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS alongside Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemmons.
Quaid and Minifie were in great spirits and so nice to stop for some autographs and snaps for fans, including one with our dear beanie!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Fan Expo Canada is back and bigger than ever! The Pandemic may have held us back for a bit, this edition of Fan Expo is here to remind us all exactly what we’ve missed. Running through August 28, 2022 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, this celebration of Fandom unites fans of all genres together under one roof by the hundreds of thousands. And for good reason. The celebrity guest list this year is unreal!
Cast members of The Lord of The Rings, Clerks, Stranger Things, The Boys, Sons of Anarchy all are slated to appear, reniting for panels, photo ops and autograph sessions in the North Building. All for the fans! Photo Ops for Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn who plays Eddie Munson on the popular Series, sold-out rather quickly and he certainly was the hot ticket this year. You cannot miss the Hall of Horrors where you can sit and listen to panels from your favourite name in Horror, and also and Tattoo Alley where you can get tatted!
Above this, there are so many cool activations to be seen including set-ups in the South Building by the likes of Bandai Namco, Studio Ghibli, Genshin Impact, Bell Esports Challenge, Nintendo Switch, TikTok, WhatNot and more! There are photos to be taken, prizes to be won and things to take home! And don’t forget to visit Artist Alley for a chance to meet and get commissioned pieces by some of your favourites. So many cool vendors and hard-to-find items throughout!
Check out my Highlight Reel. You cannot miss this and here’s why!
Tina Chan is a special contributor for us this year and here’s some highlights from the most buzzed Panels of Fan Expo Canada 2022!
The Stranger Things star revealed at her Panel that she officially came-out as Queer when she was 20 after being asked on a date and realizing that she had the power to say “yes”, and learned to accept her sexuality. When asked about whether or not she sees herself as an extrovert, she told the audience that she actually thinks she’s anti-social.
On what won her the coveted role of Chrissy Cunningham on the Series, the daughter of Actor Casper Van Dien says, “The Duffer Brothers said I was the only one who played Chrissy sweet. Everyone else played her mean in their auditions”.
Fun Fact: Van Dien revealed that she idolizes Paul Newman. Her favourite Movie is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
The Harry Potter star who unfortunately had to cancel last year, was able to make it to the City for Fan Expo Canada 2022. Lewis tells fans at his Panel that getting into the role of Neville Longbottom wasn’t too tough as he truly related to him saying, “I got it cause I went through it”.
Reflecting on his childhood as an Actor, he spoke of it as being relatively normal. “When we were off set, we were in school together. We got to have a relatively normal childhood and knew we were all in same boat together. We had each other to lean on.”.
The Star Wars Actor known best for playing C-3PO has the unique distinction of having starred in all nine Star Wars films. Daniels tells fans at his Panel that during the first ever Star Wars Film, “I’d been rehearsing in the studio for six months while they made the costume. I felt special and I felt like a star the first time I put the costume on.”.
Fun Facts: C-3PO’s microphone is actually wired towards his butt. And his favourite of all Star Wars films would be Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
The Guardians of the Galaxy star who plays Yondu has an obsession with Wunderbars and was “wundering” if these were a Canadian thing. He also vows to try everything Canadian this weekend and at his Panel tried Canadian Smarties, Wunderbar, Aero and Kit Kat. Rooker definitely wasn’t impressed by Coffee Crisp, describing them as “Kind of hard and dry, and it doesn’t taste like coffee at all!”.
This Stranger Things star certainly is no “stranger” to Toronto having filmed The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones here. Campbell Bower who plays Vecna on the Series, professed “I love my job and I’m a fucking nerd!”. On how lucky he is to have landed this role, he says humbly “It could’ve been anyone and the writing is exactly the thing that made the Show”. He also describes the several hours a day in costume/make-up as being “very intense”. He adds, “I would find myself crying in the middle of the night saying ‘Papa please, Papa please….”.
Fun Fact: If Vecna were to order something at Starbucks, it would be, per Campbell Bower, “A venti Salted Caramel Cream Cold Brew with extra foam”!
Sharing some of our own Snaps! One of our favourite events of the year, every year!
Also, some amazing Cosplay for you to enjoy!
Fan Expo Toronto Cosplayers always show-up!
It’s not too late to get tickets still for Fan Expo Canada 2022! More here.
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/Tina Chan)
Actor/Model/Entrepreneur Patrick Schwarzenegger has been in and out of Toronto working on upcoming THE BOYS Spinoff for Prime Video, THE BOYS PRESENTS: VARSITY.
Coincidentally, his father Arnold Schwarzenegger also is in-town filming Netflix Series, UTAP, which will mark the Action icon’s TV debut! The two have been commuting home to California on weekends and back to the City on the family’s private jet.
Patrick Schwarzenegger will be playing Golden Boy in the upcoming Varsity Series, but also can be seen currently in True Crime Limited Series, THE STAIRCASE alongside Colin Firth. His Co-Star Olivia DeJonge stars as Priscilla Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS and was just here recently for that Biopic which hit #1 at the Box Office this weekend in North America. Schwarzenegger also stars alongside Brother-in-Law Chris Pratt in Prime Video’s THE TERMINAL LIST as well. Big things happening for this emerging star!
So happy to get a new Snap with Schwarzenegger, who has always been really kind, donning an amazing Supreme x The North Face jacket with a patriotic American flag – right in-time for July 4th!
(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)
This is The Boys Season 3 Official Teaser Trailer, featuring the new single “Bones” by Imagine Dragons. Rated D for DIABOLICAL. Season 3 arrives June 3rd, 2022 only on Prime Video.
(Photo/video credit: Prime Video)
Check-out this new Teaser featuring some of the A-List Voice Cast to appear on Anthology Series THE BOYS PRESENTS: DIABOLICAL, coming soon to Prime Video!
Among the voice cast revealed are Awkwafina, Michael Cera, Don Cheadle, Chace Crawford, Kieran Culkin, Giancarlo Esposito, Eliot Glazer, Jason Isaacs, Kumail Nanjiani, Justin Roiland, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Ben Schwartz, Elisabeth Shue, Christian Slater, Kevin Smith, Antony Starr, Nasim Pedrad, Simon Pegg, Kenan Thompson, Aisha Tyler, and Oscar-winner Youn Yuh Jung. Additional names will be revealed at a later date.
The fun-size episodes, running 12-14 minutes and each with its own animation style, will reveal unseen stories within The Boys universe, dreamt up by some of the most creative and bloody brilliant minds in entertainment today, including Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.
THE BOYS: DIABOLICAL arrives on Prime Video March 4, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: Prime Video)
Great news for fans of THE BOYS, a new animated anthology series called THE BOYS PRESENTS: DIABOLICAL is on the way with a star-studded Voice Cast!
Synopsis:
The fun-size episodes, running 12-14 minutes and each with its own animation style, will reveal unseen stories within The Boys universe, brought to life by some of the most creative and bloody brilliant minds in entertainment today, including Awkwafina, Garth Ennis, Eliot Glazer and Ilana Glazer, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, Simon Racioppa, Justin Roiland and Ben Bayouth, Andy Samberg, and Aisha Tyler.
The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and was developed byexecutive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke.
THE BOYS PRESENTS: DIABOLICAL arrives on Prime Video Canada March 4, 2022.
(Photo credit: Prime Video Canada)
Sad we won’t be in-person at NEW YORK COMIC CON after having a blast last year, but no worries – there will be tons of exciting virtual activities which you can tune-into on their official YouTube Channel right here.
Amazon Prime Video have announced their slate of Panels at NEW YORK COMIC CON this October.
SERIES:Truth Seekers
ABOUT: Join executive producer and series star Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz), along with co-stars Samson Kayo (Timewasters), Emma D’Arcy (Hanna), Susan Wokoma (Year of the Rabbit), and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), as they discuss the making of this hilarious eight-episode supernatural horror comedy series about a team of part-time paranormal investigators, who team up to uncover and film ghost sightings across the UK, sharing their adventures on an online channel for all to see. Discussion and Q&A moderated by IGN’s Terri Schwartz.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 2:15 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook: @AmazonPrimeVideo; Twitter: @PrimeVideo; #TruthSeekers
SERIES:Utopia
ABOUT: A twisted, eight-episode thriller about a group of young comic fans who discover the conspiracy in a graphic novel is real, and embark on a high-stakes adventure to save humanity from the end of the world. Join writer and executive producer Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl) and series stars John Cusack (High Fidelity), Rainn Wilson (The Office), Sasha Lane (American Honey), Ashleigh LaThrop (Fifty Shades Freed), Dan Byrd (Cougar Town), Desmin Borges (You’re The Worst), and Cory Michael Smith (Gotham) for a Q&A moderated by Variety’s Danielle Turchiano.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 3:05 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @UtopiaOnPrime; #UtopiaTV
SERIES: Alex Rider
ABOUT: Join author and executive producer Anthony Horowitz (Foyle’s War) and series star Otto Farrant (Salmon Fishing in Yemen) for a Q&A discussion as they preview this coming of age spy-thriller series, based on the best-selling, global phenomenon book franchise, prior to its November 13th premiere on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service. The series follows a London based teenager named Alex Rider, who has unknowingly been trained since childhood for the dangerous world of espionage, and now finds himself reluctantly working undercover to investigate his uncle’s death in a remote boarding school called Point Blanc.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 3:55 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @IMDbTV; Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @AlexRiderTV
SERIES:The Boys
ABOUT: Join The Boys’ cast and showrunner as they answer fans’ burning questions and tease what’s to come in advance of the shocking finale of the critically-acclaimed second season. Based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes – who are as popular as celebrities – abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. The even more intense and insane Season Two, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, finds The Boys on the run from the law, hunted by the Supes, and trying to regroup and fight back against Vought.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 4:15 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Twitter/Facebook: @TheBoysTV; #TheBoys
SERIES: Invincible
ABOUT: Join creator and executive producer Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) live as he teases what fans can anticipate from this upcoming adult animated series, based on his iconic comic book by the same name, which revolves around 17-year old Mark Grayson, who’s just like every other guy his age – except his father is the most powerful superhero on the planet, Omni-Man.
WHEN: Thursday, October 8 at 4:50 p.m. EST
SOCIAL: Instagram/Facebook: @AmazonPrimeVideo; Twitter: @PrimeVideo
(Photo credit: Amazon Prime Video)
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