With Celebration LA 2027 still very much on the distant horizon for us, that doesn’t mean that things are quiet behind the scenes. The team will very much be in the thick of planning and a question on many people’s minds will be…who will attend as a guest/signer?
Already announced are headliners Hayden Christensen, Ian McDiarmid and Anthony Daniels. Also coming along for the party are voice actors Dee Bradley Baker and Michelle Yang.
Here we take a look at the sure-fire guests, the maybes and the wild cards as we head towards the 50th anniversary of our beloved saga.
The ‘of course they’ll attend…surely’ list of actors
As ever, we could be wrong on some of these. We have to bear in mind that these people are still working actors and if a film/series/theatre production comes along, that will always take precedent over any convention.
WARWICK DAVIS
An actor so synonymous with the saga itself that it would seem rude not to have everyone’s favourite Ewok attend. Warwick is a regular on the convention circuit and a dab hand and handling panels when it comes to live audience interaction.
THE CLONE WARS CAST
With the sad passing of Tom Kane only a few weeks ago, getting the gang back together for the 50th celebrations will be bittersweet. Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor and Matt Lanter have become a trio to be reckoned with over the years and always have long lines.
DENIS LAWSON and GARRICK HAGON
As it’s nearly been half a century of Star Wars we’ll need all the original talent that we can get and having Wedge Antilles himself in attendance would make a lot of people happy. Throw in Biggs himself for a duo photo op and the tickets sell themselves really.
BILLIE LOURD
With it being a decade (can you believe it) this Christmas since the tragic and untimely passing of Carrie Fisher, having her daughter there would be special. Billie has done signings before, most notably at Celebration 2019, and, of course, she played the body version of Leia in the flashback sequence for The Rise of Skywalker.
ROSARIO DAWSON
Our live-action Ahsoka has become a firm favourite over the years and with Ahsoka season 2 making its debut in 2027, it’s fairly safe to assume that our heroine will be taking the stage for a panel or two and for photos and autographs.
AHMED BEST
Ahmed has been welcomed back into the fandom with open arms over the past decade and RIGHTLY SO. There’s a generation of children out there who didn’t care about backlash and loved Jar Jar. It would be great to see him there.
JOONAS SUOTAMO
With our original Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, sadly no longer with us, our connection the walking carpet now lies with Joonas. Chewie needs representing, so let’s have Joonas there.
TEMUERA MORRISON
Jango? Boba? Who is he to you? To me, he’ll always be Jango and Tem is an absolute blast at panels. He needs his own stand-up tour, I’m telling you – he would sell out.
DANIEL LOGAN
Speaking of Boba, young Boba Fett is a pleasure to meet and always a hit with fans. Tem and Daniel need their own panel together, if you want proof then simply rewatch the Attack of the Clones 20th Anniversary panel from 2022.
EWAN McGREGOR
Ewan is an A-list star who is still very much in demand a serious thespian. He’s also embraced Star Wars in recent years which is a pleasure to see and is now a regular on the circuit. It wouldn’t be Star Wars without Obi-Wan Kenobi would it?!
BILLY DEE WILLIAMS
Our Lando is getting on but how could we celebrate the franchise without this smooth scoundrel. If Billy does attend, it very well could be his final convention.
The ‘Will They/Won’t They’ but Logical Choices
JAKE LLOYD
Jake has faced his personal demons over the years and the fact that the fandom/professional critics went full vomit on a child actor in 1999 will always be questionable but Jake has returned in recent years and is in apparent good health. Let’s bring the Chosen One back with a standing ovation shall we!
SEQUEL TRILOGY ACTORS
This one is always tough to call. John Boyega and Oscar Isaac have started doing the rounds on the circuit, but Daisy hasn’t. Whilst it will be the 10th anniversary of The Last Jedi, I hardly think it’ll be the top of Disney’s list of priorities. I also say they’re a maybe because these are young and, hopefully, in demand actors. One would hope that booking work on a film would be more important to them than signing. After all, conventions will be around for longer than any of us. I also think that we can safely rule out Adam Driver. He’s an actor’s actor and doesn’t need it nor does he probably care.
THE REBELS CAST
Getting the whole Ghost crew back together would be phenomenal but it depends on where this falls for Disney. They did it in 2017 and let’s hope they can do it again.
THE ROGUE ONE AND ANDOR CASTS
Again, this is down to schedules. Felicity Jones isn’t a stranger to the signing circuit and neither is Diego Luna but it would depend on where they are in the world at the time. Luna, especially, is riding a wave right now and we can’t blame him.
JUDE LAW
It would be great to see Skeleton Crew represented and Jude has done a convention or two. He’d been in a few franchises now and it would be a nice little touch to have him attend.
The ‘Wild Cards’
ALDEN EHRENREICH
This one is potentially just for me but wouldn’t it be great to show Alden the love that he deserves. He’s done private signings but never a convention with a panel. I think having him at Celebration could go over huge.
PEDRO PASCAL
He’s everyone’s favourite stepdad and the man of the moment. Even if it’s just for a day of pictures then they’d sell out in seconds.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON
He doesn’t need it. Does it want it? I have no clue but who wouldn’t want Mace Windu in the meet and greet area.
LIAM NEESON
I know, I know, this one is wishful thinking once again but if there was ever a convention that Liam would do then surely it would be this one for the 50th. He really, really doesn’t need it. He enjoys telling a story here and there about his time on Episode I and the fact he came back for a cameo in Obi-Wan Kenobi will always leave me grateful but if they lured him with enough cash then it could be a huge win for Celebration. Even if he doesn’t sign, I’m hoping Liam will still make an appearance.
MARK HAMILL
I honestly have no idea. I honestly don’t think that Hamill is a shoo-in for this show. Its widely known by now that Hamill didn’t enjoy his last Celebration in 2017 with the speed and business of it but he does love a panel and telling stories. If he does, then strongly get those credit cards ready as I believe it will most likely be the end of an era for Mark Hamill and his appearances. Only time will tell. The jury is out on this one.
The ‘No Way. Full stop. No.’ List
George Lucas and Harrison Ford are strongly rumoured to be making an appearance at Celebration but it would just be for a panel. That’s it. Fly in, speak, fly out. Expect the same for someone like Frank Oz too. Creatives could fall into this category too. JJ Abrams, Larry Kasdan, Ron Howard, Rian Johnson, Dave Filoni and Jon Faverau would all be speakers but no signers.
