Feel the force and grab your chance for autographs and Instagram moments with the Star Wars actor.
“Impressive. Most impressive.” Darth Vader, who immortalised the three-word phrase in the Star Wars series, will give franchise fans a rare treat as the seminal villain joins a stunning collection of iconic characters at this year’s edition of the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) happening from 3-5 March at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
Yes, Star Wars fans, less than a week before MEFCC opens its doors, organisers have confirmed Darth Vader will crash the party, with Hayden Christensen, who played the role in the Prequel Trilogy from 2002-05, being the latest actor to make his way to this year’s edition of Comic Con Abu Dhabi.
Christensen joins a stellar line-up that already includes the likes of Stranger Things stars David Harbour and Jamie Campbell Bower, Matt Smith of Doctor Who fame, Andy Serkis of the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars’ Anthony Daniels.
Christensen will be joining the MEFCC A-list meet-and-greet sessions, where fans will have plenty of chances to get their Vader merch autographed and enjoy ‘gram moments with the celebrity guests.
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Although he started acting as young as 12, Christensen would shoot to fame when he was cast by George Lucas to play the adult Anakin Skywalker, who would later on become Darth Vader. The Canadian actor and producer won the spot over a field of 1,500 applicants who auditioned for the coveted role.
And as Darth Vader famously said himself, “the force was strong with this one” as Christensen went on to stamp his mark on one of the most memorable characters in cinema history.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Christensen had appeared in supporting roles on television series such as Family Passions, Harrison Bergeron, In The Mouth Of Madness, Goosebumps, Forever Knight, Are You Afraid Of The Dark, The Virgin Suicides and Higher Ground. With the show Life as a House in 2001, Christensen received the Breakthrough Performance of the Year award by the National Board of Review. He made his Broadway debut in 2005.
Joining Christensen in the star-studded line-up at Comic Con in Abu Dhabi is Daniels, the English actor best known for playing Star Wars’ neurotic golden droid C3PO. Fans will also be meeting in the flesh the actor who played Supreme Leader Snoke in the latest Star Wars films, BAFTA-winning Serkis, whose character Gollum made famous the line, “My precious”, in the LOTR franchise. The Netflix hit Stranger Things is represented by Harbour, who plays Chief Hopper, the lovable dad and main character, and Bower, who portrays the enigmatic Henry Creel and his monstrous version Vecna.
More things to do at Comic Con Abu Dhabi
The LikeCard Festival Stage is where visitors can see their favourite characters come to life at the Cosplay Competition: Powered by TOD and the World Cosplay Summit (WCS) Preliminaries, where winners will represent the UAE in the WCS Finals happening in Nagoya, Japan.
The celebrated dance group from the Philippines G-Force, headed by artistic director Teacher Georcelle, will get visitors in their rhythm with step-by-step live dance classes nightly on-stage, while Kpop stans will surely enjoy the dance shows by PRISM. And why not show off your dance skills yourself at Just Dance for a chance to win a Nintendo Switch!
Gaming fans can also catch exciting matches from top players in the PUBG Mobile, COD Mobile and Stumble Guys Mobile Tournaments by LikeCard. For anime fans, there’s the One Piece, Naruto and Demon Slayer performances, as well as violinist TRIC performing renditions of anime and video game music.
Kids will have their own corner and even a chance to impress audiences at the Young, Adorable and Super Talented Kids of the Mawhibaty Programme, where young artists share their creative talents. Up for a foodie challenge? Why don’t you test your limits with Sarya’s Ultimate Spicy Noodle Challenge.
There are plenty of performances to look forward to as well, with Ashen Runway and the Boxtones hitting the stage, and DJ Abood and DJ Trina dishing out pop culture raves.
Middle East Film and Comic Con at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre runs from 3-5 March. VIP tickets are sold out, but individual passes can still be purchased at AED 135 for single-day and AED 299 for three-day access. For more information, visit mefcc.com.
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Image source DCT Abu Dhabi
