Saudi Arabia's first ever Comic-Con is shaping up to be a must-attend event.
Top international stars from the popular series Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Hannibal have all been confirmed as speakers. Yes, you read right. So, get excited!
Here's a look at the celebrities heading to the event between Feb. 16 to 18 as all the kingdom's nerds descend upon Jeddah's Takeoff Social & Air Sports Center.
Charles Dance AKA Tywin Lannister
Dance is best known for his role in the HBO drama series Game of Thrones, in which he plays the conniving and powerful Tywin Lannister. His other credits include The Imitation Game, Dracula Untold, Alien 3 and Last Action Hero.
Giancarlo Esposito AKA Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring
Esposito is an award winning American actor who is the well known villain Gustavo ‘Gus’ Fring in AMC's Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He's also starred in the NBC series Revolution and the film Do The Right Thing.
Julian Glover AKA Grand Maester Pycelle
Known best for his villain roles in Star Wars, Indiana Jones the Last Crusade, and James Bond, British actor Glover has most recently played the cunning Grand Maester Pycelle in Game of Thrones.
Mads Mikkelsen AKA Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Mikkelsen stars as Dr. Hannibal Lecter the cannibal in the NBC series Hannibal. But, the Danish actor most recently made waves for his role as Galen Erso in Star Wars: Rogue One. He also had major roles in James Bond: Casino Royale and Doctor Strange.
Originating in California, Comic Con has become an international pop culture phenomenon. Regionally, the event >came to Dubai several years ago and has been a great success, bringing leading international stars to the UAE every year.
The Jeddah version is organized by the Saudi company Time Entertainment. It is supported by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, which oversees entertainment events and activities in the kingdom.
Enhancing cultural and entertainment opportunities throughout Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the Riyadh's Vision 2030, which has been championed by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In addition to events like Comic Con, the kingdom is moving to host more concerts and plans to open cinemas, despite opposition from some religious leaders. Jeddah and Riyadh each had large scale concerts at the end of January, >the first to be held in the kingdom in many years.