SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 9, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — From a galaxy far, far away, Luke Skywalker will make his way to Salt Lake City on Sept. 1 as he appears at The Salt Lake Comic Con.
Convention organizers announced today that Mark Hamill will make his only comic con appearance in the United States in 2016 at Salt Lake Comic Con.
Hamill is best known for his role as Luke Skywalker in “Star Wars” episodes IV-VI and most recently “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens.” He is a prolific voice actor and is easily as popular in the comic book world as the voice of the Joker, commencing with “Batman: The Animated Series” and as recently as “Batman: The Killing Joke.” In addition to Star Wars, Hamill’s other film roles include “Corvette Summer,” “The Big Red One” and “Kingsman: The Secret Service.”
At Salt Lake Comic Con 2016, Hamill will do photo ops and pre-signed autographs with fans as well as a panel.
“‘Star Wars’ is always one of our fans’ favorites and the fact that Mark is making his only U.S. comic con appearance at our show is huge for us and for our fans,” said Dan Farr, Salt Lake Comic Con Founder and Show Producer.
“For fans that felt a disturbance in the Force, it was Salt Lake Comic Con fans catching their breath when they heard Luke Skywalker is coming to Salt Lake City.”
The “Star Wars” franchise began in 1977 with the release of “Star Wars: A New Hope.” In 1980 the second movie, “The Empire Strikes Back” was released, followed by “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. In 2012 The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm and announced a new trilogy, with the first film, “Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens” being released in 2015.
“The Force Awakens” is set 30 years after “Return of the Jedi” and focuses on the search for Luke Skywalker who disappeared after a student at his Jedi training school turns to the dark side, kills all the other students and destroys the school. “The Force Awakens” has grossed more than $2 billion in box office sales. Episode VIII is scheduled for release in 2017.
Since 1977 the Star Wars saga has generated more than $6.4 billion, making it the fourth highest-grossing film series of all-time.
“We promised our fans that there were more guests to come and we’re delivering on that promise in a big way,” said Bryan Brandenburg, Salt Lake Comic Con co-founder and chief marketing officer.
“It says a lot about our fans and the reputation we’ve built amongst celebrities that a star as big as Mark Hamill would make Salt Lake Comic Con his only United States comic con appearance in 2016. Star Wars: A New Hope is the Highest Grossing Film in history*. To bring in the movie’s top star of a film so successful is a tribute to how far we’ve come in a few short years.”
Salt Lake Comic Con 2016 is Sept. 1 through 3 of this year at the Salt Palace Convention Center. For more information about Salt Lake Comic Con 2016 or to buy your ticket(s) now visit, http://www.saltlakecomiccon.com/.
