With Middle East Film and Comic Con's return to Abu Dhabi only days away, we now have a full list of the celebrities set to attend this year's fest.
From Sylvie of Marvel's Loki and the voice of Joel in the The Last of Us to a host of seasoned cartoon performers, some of the biggest names from pop culture will be at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre for fans to meet.
And the biggest name of all has been announced – none other than Oscar Isaac himself will be back in Abu Dhabi for the first time since filming Dune. The news was revealed shortly after Guardians of the Galaxy actor Pom Klementieff pulled out of the event.
Here is a list of celebrities who have confirmed they will attend the three-day event, which begins on February 9.
Oscar Isaac
The American actor is most notable for his role as Poe Dameron in the Star Wars series. Before that though, he's had major film appearances, including as Prince John in Ridley Scott's Robin Hood (2010), opposite Russell Crowe.
In 2013, Isaac played the lead role in comedy drama Inside Llewyn Davis, inspired by the life of 1960s folk musician Dave Van Ronk, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award.
His filmography also includes Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse (2022), Dune (2021) – partially shot in Abu Dhabi – and Marvel Studios' Moon Knight (2022).
Sophia Di Martino
The English actress is most well known for her role as Sylvie in Marvel’s Loki show, where she plays a female variant of the popular Norse mythological character turned MCU anti-hero. Di Martino appears in both seasons of the show and acts as both a foil and partner to the main Loki played by Tom Hiddleston.
Di Martino was also a regular on British medical drama Casualty, appearing in 83 episodes. She also appears in Danny Boyle’s film Yesterday, a film about a world without the music of The Beatles.
Inaki Godoy
Bursting on the scene with last year’s live-action Netflix adaptation of the anime One Piece, Godoy impressed fans with his faithful portrayal of the lead character Monkey D Luffy.
The actor, 20, from Mexico, also appears in TV shows The Imperfects and Who Killed Sara?
James and Oliver Phelps
Famous for portraying twins Fred and George Weasley in the Harry Potter films, the two actors delivered funny, and often touching, performances as the mischievous wizards.
The brothers skipped school to audition. And, on the sixth attempt, they landed the roles, going on to become fan favourites in the franchise.
Since the end of Harry Potter, the two have taken part in charity events, podcasts, TV shows and films such as Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
Troy Baker
The prolific voice actor best known for his work in video games and anime series, is set to appear at the convention. His most memorable roles are as Joel Miller in The Last of Us games, Frank Archer in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist and The Joker in the Batman: Arkham games.
Baker also voiced the character of Nathan Drake in the beloved Uncharted game series, a performance that won him a Bafta Games Award nomination in 2016.
Temuera Morrison
The Kiwi actor and star of the Star Wars show The Book of Boba Fett will also be coming to the capital. The actor first appeared in the franchise as Jango Fett, Boba’s father, in Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
He was also in Once Were Warriors, a leading film in Maori cinema, and played Tom Curry, Aquaman’s father, in the DC franchise.
Taz Skylar
The British-Spanish actor has become a favourite among One Piece fans after role as Sanji in the live-action Netflix adaptation.
He has previously appeared in films such as Boiling Point alongside Stephen Graham. The 28-year-old actor is also due to star in a new film alongside Daisy Ridley called Cleaner.
Skylar was born in Spain to an Arab father and British mother and has worked in theatre before moving into television and films.
Frank Welker
Modern audiences may know him best as the voice of Megatron in the Transformers franchise, but Welker has been voicing memorable characters since 1969. His first major role was as Fred Jones in the Scooby-Doo cartoon.
Since then, Welker has lent his voice to many characters across a multitude of television shows and films. These include Futurama, Aladdin and Dexter’s Laboratory.
Peter Cullen
Accompanying the voice of Megatron will be the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen, who has been working since the 1960s, has delivered memorable roles such as Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh cartoons.
He has also been the voice of many trailers for films and television shows.
Show Hayami
Prolific Japanese voice actor Show Hayami has been practising his trade since the early 1980s. His credits include some of the most well-known anime series including Dragon Ball Z and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Hayami has also featured in several video games including Jump Force and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. He has also contributed to dubbing western media into Japanese including the Giallo classic Suspiria and, more recently, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5.
Other stars not to miss
The convention will also feature several comic book artists including Ivan Reis, Stephen Segovia, Mark Brooks, Carlo Pagulayan, and Steve McNiven. Fans will have the opportunity to meet them, share a photograph and have something signed.
This year's convention will feature a Japanese Village for the first time. The area will allow visitors to explore areas set up to convey a traditional Japanese experience.
Visitors can also tour the Artist Alley, which will give local and regional artists a chance to sell their artwork.
Middle East Film and Comic Con will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre from February 9; tickets can be purchased at www.mefcc.com
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Middle East Film and Comic Con 2023 is under way in Abu Dhabi. All photos: Victor Besa / The National -
The event runs for three days and celebrates all things pop culture -
Spider-Man cosplay -
Friends cosplay as zombies -
Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, at MEFCC -
Friends Maryam, Samia and Edith cosplay as Power, Angel and Childe from Genshin Impact -
Saig Ali at the Dragonball-Z series display -
A cosplayer -
Friends Falah, Sultan, Hamdan and Zayed around the shopping stalls -
Swords were a popular choice for shoppers -
Artworks created by Shaheen Alhadad from Crimson Star -
Artist Soul of Crimson Star at Mefcc -
Artist Shaheen Alhadad of Crimson Star -
The shopping and gaming area -
Warner Bros World Abu Dhabi have a stand at MEFCC with characters Tom and Jerry making an appearance -
Ghost gamer cosplay -
Anthony Daniels, the English actor best known for playing C-3PO in the Star Wars films, at the event -
Cartoon artist Hessa Butaweel at her stand in the Artist Alley -
Ruqaya Alsalem as a Pink Power Ranger with The Joker -
Kaliste Rodi as Princess Leia, left, and Eva Sereda, right, as a Stormtrooper from Star Wars -
Wafa Obeid as Maleficent -
Harley Quinn cosplayer -
Gavin Mansour and Merve Arslan with limited-edition Funko figures -
Emirati artist Abdulla Aljneibi -
Limited-edition Funko dolls on sale -
Stormtrooper cosplayers -
Tony Santiago with some of his artwork -
Diana, left, dressed as Arlecchino and Nona, right, as Columbina. Both are characters from Genshin Impact -
Gaming is popular at MEFCC -
Jalil Bekkairov, left, as Obi Wan Kenobi and Assal Bekkairova, right, as a Jedi -
Emirati artists Mahra and Khulood Khalil -
Funko collector Emad Al Zankawi -
Alia Almansouri with Harley Quinn
