Maybe this time Dale will survive.
Fans of the popular AMC series “The Walking Dead” — which shattered basic cable viewer records with its season two finale back in March — can feed their appetites for zombies when FandomFest returns to Louisville for the eighth year this weekend.
In addition to actor Jeffrey DeMunn, who played Dale until he was disemboweled by a “walker” late in season two, Kevin Galbraith will appear. Galbraith, of course, portrayed the zombie who brought about Dale’s untimely fate. It should make for an interesting reunion and hopefully will be at least mostly gore-free.
“Everyone seems to be excited about the ‘Walking Dead’ cast being here,” says FandomFest promoter Myra Daniels.
Norman Reedus, who plays the popular character Daryl Dixon (who mercifully killed Dale following the zombie attack that sealed his fate), IronE Singleton (T-Dog) and Madison Lintz (Sophia) also will appear.
Speaking of Madison Lintz, her entire family will also be at FandomFest — you probably know her mom, Kelly, from “One Tree Hill,” and her sister, Mackenzie, from a film called “The Hunger Games.” Brothers Matthew (“The Crazies”) and Macsen (“Hall Pass”) will also attend.
But the who’s-who of popular culture doesn’t end there. Bruce Campbell, probably best known for starring in Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” film series and the TV series “Burn Notice,” is another huge draw, according to Daniels. “People will probably line up at 8 in the morning to meet him,” she says.
Here’s a partial list of other notable guests: Sean Astin (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy); Luke Perry (plus other “Beverly Hills 90210” cast members); James Marsters and Nicholas Brendon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”); Corey Feldman (as part of a “Weird Science” reunion); Peter Davison (“Dr. Who”); and Kane Hodder, who played Jason in several of the “Friday the 13th” films.
“We have such a great guest line-up that it’s difficult to say (who will be the biggest draw),” Daniels says. “We have a lot of major headliners this year.”
There will also be a number of best-selling authors on hand, from Robin Hobb to Timothy Zahn, as well as artists such as Angel Medina (“Spider-Man”) and filmmakers from all over the world who will screen their work at the largest genre-specific juried film festival in the country.
FandomFest will be at the Galt House downtown for the first time ever, and will fill about 120,000 square feet of space with attractions, collectibles, seminars and more. Some 300 vendors will line the hall all weekend, and attendees can get in on seminars covering everything from making films on a budget to getting your kids into the acting business.
FandomFest
June 29-July 1
Galt House Hotel
fandomfest.com
$25/day ($50/weekend pass);
4 p.m.-2 a.m. (Fri.), 9 a.m.-2 a.m. (Sat.), 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Sun.)
