Geeks and nerds throughout the Middle East are pulling out their lightsabers and donning their costumes in anticipation of the start of the Middle East Film and Comic Con in Dubai this Thursday. Running for three days from April 9-11 at the Dubai World Trade Center, the event promises a slew of celebrity attendees.
Headlining the Dubai Comic Con will be American actor William Shatner who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series in the 1960s. Other prominent actors in attendance will include Gillian Anderson (The X-Files, The Fall ), Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter, Captain America ), Kelly Hu (Arrow, Vampire Diaries ), Angela Bridges (Baywatch, The Perfect Woman ), and Sam J Jones (Code Red, The A-Team ) along with voice actors Caitlin Glass (Street Fighter IV ), Vic Mignogna (Full Metal Alchemist, StreetFighter II ), and Bryce Papenbrook (Attack on Titan, Sword Art Online ) will also attend as well as writer and director Max Landis (Me Him Her, American Ultra ) and sword master Miltos Yerolemou (Game of Thrones ).
Those who want a more hands-on experience at the event can even take a sword master class Friday and Saturday led by Yerolemou, who trains Arya Stark onscreen in "Game of Thrones" as sword master Syrio Forel.
Batman fans will be particularly excited to see the Tumbler replica from "Batman Begins." Fans will be able to take photos with the vehicle and even take a seat inside. Millionaires in attendance can even purchase the street-legal two seater that has full CD/DVD and iPod integration capabilities for $1 million.
Leading up to the weekend event, the Dubai Mall has launched a preview display for the second year. Last year's display was entitled Art Wars and showcased Stormtrooper helmets decorated by artists and auctioned off for charity. This year the display will feature items from the collection of Star Wars memorabilia owned by Omar Al Bahiti.
Bahiti is supplying the exhibit with 10 helmets and six lightsabers. "The helmets showcase the evolution of the stormtroopers from Episode III – the prequels/Clone Wars era – to Episode IV, the classic trilogy, and some of these are very rare outside of collectors’ circles," he told The National .
“The ’sabers are the iconic ones from Anakin, Luke, Yoda and, of course, Vader. They’re the first ones made by the defunct Master Replicas and are no longer in production, but toy copies are being made by Hasbro from time to time.” Bahiti's collection is believed to be the largest within the region.
Both the Dubai Mall preview and the actual event are Dubai's must-attend attractions this week for sure. Our solution for FOMO surrounding Comic Con? Attend . . . and may the force be with you.