[Archive 2019-09-02] Fan Expo Canada 2019 offers celebrities, cosplay, panels

Historical archive — originally published 2019-09-02. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In late August, the Canadian city of Toronto celebrated the quarter century anniversary of Fan Expo Canada, a massive annual pop culture convention. Running from August 22 to 25, the event featured extensive retail areas, panels, celebrity appearances, an artist alley, and attendees in cosplay. Wikinews attended.

Actress Denise Crosby is set to appear in the final season of Suits, a Toronto-shot legal series. The actress recalled her season with Star Trek: The Next Generation, when they were the "scrappy little red headed stepchild of the [Paramount] lot."

The cast of the sitcom Kim's Convenience had a panel in a room for 700 people. The popular series is based on a 2011 stage play about a Korean-Canadian family that operates a convenience store. Simu Liu, one of the series leads, is to play the titular character in Marvel film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).

Hasbro hosted a panel about their Star Wars products, which promoted their new action figures and helmets. The company's upcoming replica helmet is of Luke Skywalker's X-wing helmet, their "number one requested hero helmet [...] This by far is the most labor-intensive helmet to date." While previous helmets have included movie sound, this product includes lights to simulate the enemy ships going past your head.

The event played host to the Rocket League WGN North American Championship, with the winning team receiving C$10,000 and a trip to a professional circuit event.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Fan Expo Canada 2019 offers celebrities, cosplay, panels by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.