The Middle East Film and Comic Convention has some new partners this year. Fans of rock music – and the actor Jared Leto – will be pleased to hear that the Oscar winning actor will be bringing his band Thirty Seconds to Mars to the stage, thanks to a partnership with Live Nation.
Star Trek legend William Shatner will be the headline guest at the event, which looks set to be bigger, better, and geekier than ever before when it takes over Dubai's World Trade Centre for three days next month.
The 83-year-old Canadian actor is familiar to generations of sci-fi fans as Captain James T Kirk, the fearless captain of the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek TV series and movies. He's also familiar to those of a certain age as TJ Hooker from the 1980s cop show of the same name, and he also starred on legal drama Boston Legal, which ran from 2004 to 2007.
Those looking for extra geek points will recall his sideline as a recording artist, the surreal highlights of which included spoken-word versions of Bob Dylan's Mr Tambourine Man and Elton John's Rocket Man.
Also appearing at the convention will be Karl Urban, who plays Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy in the rebooted Star Trek movies, Éomer in The Lord of the Rings films, and Judge Dredd in the 2012 movie Dredd, written by Alex Garland, based on the British comic book anti-hero.
Also on the guest list is Sam Jones, best known for starring in the title role of the 1980 sci-fi film Flash Gordon, and more recently for his memorable cameo playing himself in the Seth McFarlane's 2012 movie comedy Ted.
Comics won't be overlooked – alongside many returning favourites, Image Comics, the publisher of hits such as The Walking Dead and Spawn will be attending for the first time.
Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing is also on board once again, and will be helping to promote this year’s MEFCC as a global attraction.
Another new link up, this time with the 181 million-user free text, voice and video messaging service LINE, will offer fans at the show up-to-the-minute live updates of activities, promotions, signings, workshops and exclusive offers, ensuring that they don’t miss out on the jam-packed weekend of activities.
The organisers seem confident that the stellar line up – and there’s plenty more yet to be announced – will prove a hit with fans. This year’s show has booked 35 per cent more space at Dubai World Trade Centre and is aiming to welcome 50,000 visitors through the doors over the weekend.
“Our promise is always ‘bigger, better and crazier than ever’,” said MEFCC managing director, Ben Caddy. “With the overwhelming support of both our industry partners and the fan community, whether they are artists, exhibitors, sponsors or fans, people feel that they have a stake in this event and the platform it provides,” he added, “and it’s that enthusiasm which is driving the growth of the event.”
Tickets, and full pricing and package details for the April 9-12 event are available now online and at Virgin Megastore. Keep an eye on the MEFCC website for the latest guest announcements.
cnewbould@thenational.ae