Kurt Russell makes con debut with John Carpenter, reunions for Lord of the Rings, The Goonies

After a 2025 edition to marvel at, Fan Expo Chicago returns to the Chicago area on August 14-16, 2026 with fandom descending upon the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. during that weekend of comics, entertainment, and genre entertainment. Much like the 2024 edition, the Hollywood Snitch coverage of the 2025 edition was a family affair with my son joining his father in growing interest of such fandom. Check our photos below (Photos by Matt Sheehan and William Unhock).

This year's Chicago edition brings a grand debut.

Veteran, legendary actor Kurt Russell will make his convention debut at the Fan Expo Chicago event. The actor known for notable genre and cult films like The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and Escape from New York will appear alongside his famed director of those films John Carpenter for panels and fan opportunities. Russell's The Thing co-star and fellow Carpenter stablemate Keith David will be bringing the style and talent to the convention hall, too.

Carpenter's Halloween cast members PJ Soles, Tommy Lee Wallace and Nick Castle also are set to see something they like--fans of their Michael Myers classic horror flick.

Fellow notable director Sam Raimi--no stranger to works popular among the Fan Expo crowd like the original Spider-Man series and the Evil Dead franchise--will also be appearing for photo ops and autographs.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Fellowship of the Ring's film release, there is a reunion of that film franchises actors, including Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, John Rhys-Davies, John Noble and Karl Urban.

LOTR isn't the only reunion--THe Goonies never say die and they are there, including Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Joe Pantoliano, among a few others.

Urban has crossover appeal, having starred in Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Dredd, Thor Ragnarok, and TV's The Boys. Speaking of that Amazon series, Urban and multiple castmates will join forces for their fervent fans.

The Boys isn't the only TV show with cast appearing for their fans. You can find stars from Lost; grow with Young Sheldon cast members; and seek out the spooks and demons from Supernatural.

Many other stars of past and present will be joining this growing list:
- Academy award winning director/actor Mel Gibson pairs with his Lethal Weapon co-star Danny Glover
- Fresh off the recent Masters of the Universe reboot, original big-screen He-Man Dolph Lundgren will be on-site
- Hollywood legend William Shatner brings his longtime con appeal with warp speed

For a full list of all guests and panels, see: ​https://fanexpohq.com/fanexpochicago/