Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is pleased to announce that legendary comedian and award-winning talk show host David Letterman will make his Just For Laughs debut at the Festival next month, marking his first Canadian performance since 1978. One of the most influential figures in late-night television, Letterman will appear at the 10th edition of Just For Laughs VANCOUVER with “An Evening with David Letterman and Special Guest Zach Galifianakis,” a very special in-conversation event between two extraordinary comedy legends, on February 18, 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome David Letterman to Just For Laughs VANCOUVER. He is one of the defining voices in comedy history, and to be able to pair him with Zach Galifianakis for a show like this is incredibly special for us and for comedy fans in Vancouver,” said Nick Brazao, VP of Programming & Talent, Just For Laughs.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, I couldn’t imagine a more fitting way to honour a decade of bringing world-class comedy to Vancouver than by welcoming David Letterman and Zach Galifianakis to the festival,” said Heather Wallace, Founding Partner and Festival Director of Just For Laughs VANCOUVER. “This year’s lineup is packed with exceptional local and international talent, and we’re proud to keep delivering these incredible moments to the fans who make Vancouver such a vibrant comedy city.”

Tickets for “An Evening with David Letterman and Special Guest Zach Galifianakis” will go on pre-sale tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20 at 10AM PT, followed by the general public sale on Wednesday, January 21 at 10AM PT at JFLVancouver.com. To access the pre-sale, subscribe to the Just For Laughs VANCOUVER mailing list at JFLVancouver.com. Tickets for the full Festival lineup are available now.

Artist Bios
David Letterman
Over 33 years on late-night television, David Letterman was the longest-running late-night broadcaster in American history. As a writer, performer, and producer, Letterman is one of the most-nominated individuals in Emmy Award history, with 52 nominations, resulting in 10 wins. Letterman is also a two-time Peabody-Award winner and a Kennedy Center Honoree. Letterman produced the Disney+ docu-special, Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman (2023). Letterman can currently be seen hosting My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the Emmy-winning interview show streaming on Netflix, featuring guests including Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, JAY-Z, Robert Downey Jr., Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Caitlin Clark, Billie Eilish, and Adam Sandler.

Zach Galifianakis
After failing his last college course by one point at North Carolina State University, Zach Galifianakis moved to New York City. He got his start performing his brand of humour in the back of a hamburger joint in Times Square, graduating to doing stand-up in nightclubs and coffee houses across the city. While working as a busboy, he got his first acting job on the sitcom “Boston Common.” An eclectic career has followed.

Zach is most well-known from THE HANGOVER trilogy with additional credits including THE CAMPAIGN, DUE DATE, IT’S A FUNNY KIND OF STORY, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, INTO THE WILD and THE BEANIE BUBBLE. Feature animation credits include G-FORCE, RON’S GONE WRONG and most recently LILO AND STITCH. Zach created the critically-acclaimed series “Baskets,” which garnered him an Emmy nomination, and starred in the comedy “Bored to Death.” He also hosted the VH1 talk show “Late World With Zach,” as well as wrote and starred in “Dog Bites Man” for Comedy Central. He hosted the Emmy-winning internet talk show “Between Two Ferns” on which he interviewed such guests as President Barack Obama, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell, Natalie Portman, Conan O’Brien and Justin Bieber.

Zach recurred on season four of “Only Murders in the Building” and next up will be seen in the dark comedy thriller, THE GALLERIST, which will premiere at Sundance this year. He also recently completed production on the upcoming AMC series, THE AUDACITY, as well as the Taika Waititi pilot VERY YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN for FX as ‘Dr. Frankenstein.’

Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is proud to welcome its partners Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia, Destination Vancouver, SiriusXM Canada, B.C. Lottery Corporation, Stanley Park Brewing, NUTRL, Downtown Van, Vancouver Sun, The Province, DailyHive and Curiocity to its 10 Year celebration and 2026 event.

ABOUT JUST FOR LAUGHS VANCOUVER:
Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is one of Canada’s largest and most renowned comedy festivals, showcasing an extraordinary lineup of top-tier comedic talent from around the globe. Spanning multiple venues across the city, the festival brings Vancouver to life with a celebration of all things comedy. Over the years, Just For Laughs VANCOUVER has welcomed some of the biggest names in comedy, including Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Trevor Noah, Hannah Gadsby, Marc Maron, The Office Ladies, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Maria Bamford, Ronny Chieng, and many more. In addition to hosting global megastars, the festival proudly fosters homegrown talent with its wildly popular curated series, Best of the West, shining a spotlight on the exceptional comedians emerging from Vancouver and beyond. With a legacy of unforgettable performances and a reputation for curating both established icons and rising stars, Just For Laughs VANCOUVER continues to solidify its place as a premier destination for comedy fans.

Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is a co-production between Just For Laughs and B.C. based company NorthWest Comedy. For more information, please visit

It is the Year of Beanie! Apple TV+ have announced they will be streaming upcoming Feature THE BEANIE BUBBLE! This comes on the heels of recent HBO Max Doc BEANIE MANIA.

Synopsis:

The Beanie Bubble” is inspired by the story behind one of the biggest speculative crazes that blazed through American culture in the 90s. It pulls back the curtain on the absurdities and injustices of the American Dream — particularly the female relationship to it. It’s a celebration of the women who helped power Ty Warner’s success, whose strengths and good instincts shaped and amplified the phenomenon, but whose names are not on the Beanie Babies’ heart-shaped tags.

Kristin Gore (“Saturday Night Live,” “Futurama”) and Grammy Award-winner Damian Kulash (OK Go) will co-direct, with Emmy Award winner Zach Galifianakis (“Between Two Ferns,” “Baskets”), Emmy Award nominee Elizabeth Banks (“The Hunger Games,” “Love and Mercy”), Emmy and Critics Choice Award nominated, and Golden Globe-winner Sarah Snook (“Succession,” “Predestination”), and Geraldine Viswanathan (“Broken Hearts Gallery,” “Hala”) set to lead the star-studded cast.

More to come.

(Photo credit: Apple.TV+)

Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer star in RON’S GONE WRONG, coming to us this October.

Synopsis:

20th Century Studios and Locksmith Animation’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” is the story of Barney, a socially awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally-connected device, which is supposed to be his “Best Friend Out of the Box.” Ron’s hilarious malfunctions, set against the backdrop of the social media age, launch them into an action-packed journey in which boy and robot come to terms with the wonderful messiness of true friendship. “Ron’s Gone Wrong” features the voices of Zach Galifianakis (“A Wrinkle in Time”), Jack Dylan Grazer (“Shazam!”), Olivia Colman (“The Crown”), Ed Helms (“The Office”), Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), Rob Delaney (“Deadpool 2“),  Kylie Cantrall (“Gabby Duran and the Unsittables”), Ricardo Hurtado (“The Goldbergs”), Marcus Scribner (“Black-ish”), Thomas Barbusca (“Chad”).

The film is directed by Pixar veteran Jean-Philippe Vine (story artist on “Cars 3” and “The Good Dinosaur”) and Locksmith co-founder Sarah Smith (“Arthur Christmas”)  with Octavio Rodriguez (story artist on “Coco” and “The Incredibles 2”) co-directing. The script is written by Peter Baynham (“Arthur Christmas,” “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm”) & Smith. Julie Lockhart (“Shaun the Sheep Movie,” “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”), also a co-founder of Locksmith, and Lara Breay produce, with Locksmith chairman Elisabeth Murdoch, Smith and Baynham serving as executive producers.

20th Century Studios release RON’S GONE WRONG October 22, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: 20th Century Studios)

A new Trailer has surfaced for MISSING LINK!

Synopsis:
Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis) is 8 feet tall, weighs 630 pounds, and covered in fur. He can also talk and write letters, as he does to fearless explorer Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) when he grows tired of living a solitary life in the Pacific Northwest.

Frost is astounded when he meets the creature, especially when he realizes how humanlike Mr. Link is. They go on a journey to find Link‘s longlost relatives in the fabled valley of Shangri-La. Along with adventurer Adelina Fortnight (Zoe Saldana), the explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril as they travel to the far reaches of the world.

See the Trailer:

Elevation Pictures release MISSING LINK Friday, April 12, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Featuring a star-studded Voice Cast, here’s a new Trailer for stop-motion animated feature MISSING LINK! Voices include: Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Zach Galifianakis, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson and Timothy Olyphant.

Synopsis:
Missing Link follows myths and monsters investigator, Sir Lionel Frost, who sets off on an adventure to the Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature—Mr. Link. Frost, who’s also looking to gain acceptance by his small-minded explorer peers, is accompanied on his journey by Adelina Fortnight, a free-spirited, independent adventurer who just so happens to possess the only known map to their secret destination of trying to find Link.

See the Trailer:

Elevation Pictures release MISSING LINK April 12, 2019.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

eOne Films + Mr. Will want to give Readers a chance to see MASTERMINDS first! Screenings take place as follows:
Toronto – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at Scotiabank Toronto
Vancouver – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at International Village
Calgary – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at Eau Claire
Edmonton – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at South Edmonton
Ottawa – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at Cineplex Ottawa
Halifax – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at Scotiabank Halifax
London – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at SilverCity London
Hamilton – Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at SilverCity Hamilton
Waterloo –Wednesday September 28 – 7PM at Galaxy Waterloo

Synopsis:
David Ghantt (Zach Galifianakis), a hapless armored vehicle guard, yet he always felt like he was meant for a live of adventure. David finally gets his wish when he meets Kelly (Kristen Wiig). She lures him into executing a $17 million heist for both herself and her group of double-crossing, half-brained criminals. They betray David and take off with the cash and frame him to take the fall.

David is forced to go on the lam, dodge authorities and try to spin the scheme back on his manipulative comrades.

See the Trailer:

Artwork:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City!

eOne Films release MASTERMINDS on Friday, September 30, 2016.

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong/eOne Films)

Critics already are calling BIRDMAN a triumph and this is your chance to see it first!  The amount of Awards buzz for this Alejandro González Iñárritu Film is alarming and we hope like us you are just as excited to see it!  Screenings will take place in Toronto and Vancouver on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 (Mr. Will‘s Birthday!), and the following week in Calgary!  We hope those of you in Toronto will be there to celebrate that special day with this remarkable Film!

Official Synopsis:
Washed-up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who became famous for playing an iconic superhero in the movies, decides to stage a comeback in a Broadway play.

Pressures mount leading up to the play’s opening night as Riggan battles his ego and tries to win back his family, at the same time re-establishing his career and finding himself in the process.

BIRDMAN stars Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone and Naomi Watts.

Official Artwork:

See the Trailer:

To enter to win, simply click “like” on this Post at Mr. Will on Facebook.  State your City in the comments section also.

You may double your chances by Re-Tweeting the below or sharing this Post on Facebook with your Friends:

http://www.mwillwong.com/birdman @MRWILLW wants us to #win Passes to see #BIRDMANMOVIE. Out 10/24 in select cities.

Fox Searchlight release BIRDMAN in Toronto and Vancouver on Friday, October 24, 2014, with additional Cities to follow.

(Photo/video credit: Fox Searclight)

At long last the TIFF ’13 Guest List has been announced and among the Marquee names we can expect to see in Toronto in two weeks are phenomenal!  Although speak of Brad Pitt and George Clooney making appearances here didn’t amount to much more than rumour, this year the Female Contingent shines brightest with several of Hollywood’s A-List set to present their latest Oscar Vehicles here.

Among the Celebrities expected this year are:

Emilia Clarke, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Tom Felton, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew McConaughey, Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Sarah Gadon,  Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon, James Franco, Marion Cotillard, Mike Myers, Emma Thompson, Kristen Wiig, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Amy Poehler, Keanu Reeves, Kate Winslet, Adam Driver, Jesse Eisenberg, Mia Wasikowska, Owen Wilson, Ralph Fiennes, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Gyllenhaal, JudeLaw, Jessica Chastain, Jai Courtney, Mila Kunis, Pierce Brosnan, Sandra Bullock, Jason Bateman, Zac Efron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Colin Firth, Idris Elba, Ed Harris, Michael C. Hall, Annette Benning, James McAvoy, Liam Neeson, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Foster, Anton Yelchin, Maria Bello, Jennifer Garner, Nicolas Cage, Daniel Brühl, Tom Hiddleston, Jack Huston, Hugh Jackman, Jessica Lange, Melissa Leo, Adam Levine, Catherine O’Hara, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Berenger, Tom Wilkinson, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Clive Owen, Zach Galifianakis, Emily Watson, John Hawkes, Alan Rickman, Toni Collette, Josh Brolin, Alice Cooper, Tiger Chen, Rebecca Hall, Will Forte, Kevin Zegers, Taylor Kitsch, Juliette Binoche, Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Thandie Newton,  Terrence Howard, James Hetfield, Thomas Haden Church, Tim Robbins,  Glenn Close, Dakota Fanning, Philip Glass and several more!

Keep checking back here as the Toronto International Film Festival makes additions as we get closer to Thursday, September 5, 2013 when TIFF ’13 kicks-off!  The Festival runs till Sunday, September 15, 2013.

The official Schedule has been announced and you can now start planning your Festival right here. Download the Official Schedule right here!

Single Tickets go on sale on Sunday, September 1, 2013 on TIFF‘s Website here.

Things are about to get real exciting around here!  Happy TIFF, indeed!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

“I suppose you’re wondering why I called you here today”, Ken Jeong says as he settles into his seat before a room of Journalists today on the rooftop of his über-chic Toronto Hotel. “I’m here today to update you on my Facebook Status: it’s complicated.”.

The youthful-spirited Funnyman’s Career has blossomed in recent years, becoming in his own right a Pop Culture Icon for his Role in The Hangover Franchise as the fearless, volatile and mostly funny, Leslie Chow. His brazen nude scenes forever have been ingrained in the Moviegoing Public’s Psyche, his remarks so funny  because well, they’re painfully true for the most part. Jeong is in-town to promote  the Finale to the Box Office record-breaking, Golden Globe-winning Franchise, also known affectionately to Fans as The Wolfpack Trilogy.  Without a wedding, this Installment has The Wolfpack on a goose chase to find  Mr. Chow from Mexico to Las Vegas.

Anyone expecting an alignment between his public and private personas just might be in for a  bit of a shock.  Jeong is demure and actually v. articulate  – an observation I made earlier in the day watching him greet some Fans on a morning stop of his Toronto Press Tour.  One Journalist tells him, “I admit I’m having a hard time reconciling Mr. Chow and Ken Jeong!“.  Even he agrees with her observation.

Many don’t realize that the Funnyman known also for his work on NBC‘s just-renewed Sitcom Community as Señor Ben Chang, abandoned a flourishing career as a Doctor over ten years ago.  “I actually keep in touch with some of my patients. They tell me, ‘I’m just so happy that you have an outlet because you’re so intense and serious most of the time'”, he reveals about his Doctor Days. “I never showed up in  Clownsuit. I’m not Patch Adams, that’s for sure.”.

Although maybe bordering inappropriate to make mention about Race, it is undeniable that Asian-American Actors are scarce in Hollywood today.  What Jeong has done with his Career as both a Comedian and an Actor has been nothing short of astonishing, paving possibilities for an under-seen type of Face in Film and Television.  He admits, “Chow is a Meta-Joke,  how he makes fun of the Asian Accent. All along, I was poking fun at Stereotypes and Archetypes in Movies.”.  He adds, “Chow is one of those Characters you can go as over-the-top as you want with but  still be within the confines of the Character.”.

I ask him about his own personal Comedic Heroes, being an Inspiration to many himself.  First and foremost he lists Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and David Letterman.  “For some reason they stick out. They’re Geniuses, which I’m not. They have a sense of fearlessness which I admire.”.  On his Contemporaries, he pays respect to the likes of Dana Carvey, Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen, pointing-out their endless commitment to scenes.  “Zach Galifianakis and I have been friends for over 15 years.  I’d say he’s the funniest Actor-in-work right now and that’s not only because we’re friends. When I’m having a bad day, I can just go on Funny or Die and watch Between Two Ferns“, he laughs. “I’ve worked practically with everyone in Comedy. Nobody makes me laugh like him.”.

His praise for Co-Stars isn’t exclusive to just Galifianakis.  He raves  from a genuine place about Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper also. “I can’t say enough good things about them. They are the three most ego-less diva-free Leads you could work with.  We’re low-key and really save it all for the Camera”, he recalls  his experience with the Trilogy. “There was a free-flowing of ideas. I felt by the third Movie, I could say anything and had no inhibitions – that is what I’m gonna miss most. This third Movie is the most fun I’ve had making any of The Hangover Movies.”.

Perhaps his most physically-challenging role to date, Jeong reveals that he conquered his greatest fear during the filming of The Hangover Part III. “I can say there’s a point in the Movie where Chow does a thirty-foot Free-Fall Drop with hundreds of gallons of water behind him.  I’m massively afraid of heights and worked for six weeks with Stunt Coordinator Jack Gill who week-by-week would desensitize me.”. After a short pause he proclaims, “Physically, that was the greatest day of my Acting Career!”.

Jeong might appear shyer in person than on-screen but he certainly isn’t shy about his deep affections for Chow.  In comparing Chow to his Chang Character on Community, he jokes, “Chow would eat Chang in a fight. He lives large. A Villain who can make me laugh is something I’m instinctively drawn to.”.

But is a Spin-off of sorts in-the-cards for our beloved Leslie Chow?  “I would love to do that, making sure it was a completely different thing from The Hangover. I have absolute confidence in it.”, says Jeong. “I quit my Dayjob to pursue Imagination and Chow is the widest spectrum of Imagination. I love that Character. He is the one Character I could play for life.”.

Warner Bros. releases The Hangover Part III on May 23, 2013.  Fans will savour  Chow‘s expanded presence in this emotional and fitting end to the iconic Wolfpack Trilogy.

See my Snaps of Jeong below:

Audio below:

In the meantime, we’ve got an official Signed Photo from Ken Jeong to give away, but only Fans of Mr. Will Wong on Facebook can enter!  Details here.

We spotted Jeong out and about earlier.  Click here for more on that!

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Funnyman Ken Jeong has arrived!  The Actor/Comedian/Doctor was up and at ’em early doing Press today in support of the Grand Finale to The Wolfpack Trilogy, The Hangover Part III.   Having left an imprint on our collective Social Conscience with his performance as Leslie Chow in the Box Office record-breaking, Golden Globe-winning Franchise, Jeong has a hectic day ahead.  In addition to visiting KISS 92.5 earlier today, appearing on The Roz & Mocha Show, he also head down near the Waters, appearing at The Edge on The Dean Blundell Show also.

Fans will have a chance to see their beloved Mr. Chow at MuchMusic‘s New.Music.Live at 6:00 PM, followed by an appearance at the Red Carpet Advance Screening of The Hangover Part III, to be held at Scotiabank Theatre.  Other Celebrity arrivals are expected, so keep your eyes peeled and your flashes ready.

Billy and I had the pleasure of getting a Snap together – Sombrero included – with Chow at KISS 92.5 Studios and he was an absolute delight, a few Fans  giddy at the rare sight of him being in our City. “I appreciate all of this”, he tells me graciously, making time for Photos despite a beyond-packed morning. Fans will revel in the fact that Jeong has an expanded role in the Film, as Mr. Chow unleashes his fury on anyone who gets in his way of Fortune!

See a brief Video Clip of him with Fans below:

See our Snap:

Warner Bros. Canada releases The Hangover Part III on Thursday, May 23, 2013.

I will be sitting down with Jeong later today. Stay tuned for our Chat!

UPDATE: Just how awesome is this?

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)