Hayden Christensen and More Crash the 2025 Lineup
HOUSTON, TX (April 17, 2025) – Comicpalooza is gearing up for another unforgettable mission as the star-studded lineup for 2025 continues to be unveiled! Today, Houston’s annual pop-culture festival announced that Star Wars actor, Hayden Christensen will be making his way to Comicpalooza. Christensen joins a diverse line-up including industry legend Adam Savage, iconic actors Sosie Bacon, Patton Oswalt and Alicia Witt, voice over actor Sean Schemmel and best-selling authors, award-winning wrestlers and comic book guests. Comicpalooza returns to the George R. Brown Convention Center to officially kick-off the summer season, June 20-22, 2025.
“Our first round of guest announcements covers a wide range of fandoms and is indicative of the diverse interests of Comicpalooza attendees. From rising stars like Sosie Bacon to beloved luminaries like Hayden Christensen, we are thrilled to bring these icons to Houston to meet their devoted Space City fans,” said Aimée McCurtain, Chief Strategy Officer for Comicpalooza and Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Houston First Corporation.
Christensen stunned the world when he landed his breakout role as Anakin Skywalker a.k.a.“The Chosen One”, who later turned to the dark side as the iconic Darth Vader, in the Star Wars prequels Episode II: Attack of the Clones and Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Prior to Star Wars, he played a leading role in Higher Ground and received critical acclaim for his performance in Life as a House. Following his portrayal of Darth Vader, Christensen went on to star in several action films, including Jumper and Takers.
Known worldwide as host and producer of Discovery Channel’s hit series MythBusters, Adam Savage has experience in every imaginable form of fabrication. He’s built everything from robot ghost chairs to spaceships for Star Wars: Episode I. Additionally, in 2019 he published the New York Times best-seller Every Tool’s a Hammer, chronicling his life as a maker.
Widely known for her leading role in the horror film Smile, Bacon has attributes in the critically acclaimed As We See It and Mare of Easttown where she starred opposite Kate Winslet. She’s also known for her role in 13 Reasons Why and the second season of Narcos: Mexico. American stand-up comedian and actor, Oswalt boasts credits in The Goldbergs, The King of Queens, Parks and Recreation, Two and a Half Men, Modern Family and was recently in The Sandman. Additionally, he’s voiced renowned parts such as Remy in Ratatouille, Max in The Secret Life of Pets 2, and is the co-writer of the comic book series Minor Threats. Witt made her film debut in the sci-fi classic Dune, going on to star in hit television shows and movies such as The Walking Dead, The Mentalist, Friday Night Lights, The Sopranos, Last Holiday, Two Weeks’ Notice, and Fun, an award-winning film. Most recent credits include her role as Ruth Harker in Longlegs, alongside Nicholas Cage, as well as the critically acclaimed hits Fuzzy Head and I Care A Lot. Recognizable as the voice of Goku in the Dragon Ball franchise, Schemmel is a professional voice actor, ADR director, audio engineer and musician. He’s voiced hundreds of characters across various animated series and video games, including Pokemon and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Wrestlers Lisa Marie Varon, Torrie Wilson and Charles Wright also join this year’s lineup. Varon, aka “Victoria” is a retired American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and fitness competitor. Varon’s career highlights include WWE Women’s Champion and two champion ring names. Wilson is a former fitness competitor and professional wrestler who is best known for her time in the WWE. Known as “The Godfather,” Wright is a WWE Hall of Fame wrestler and former businessman. He’s captured both the Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship.
Comic guests Marc Silvestri and Joe Eisma have joined the powerhouse Comicpalooza talent lineup. The comic book legend Silvestri is a founding partner of Image Comics and Top Cow. In the 80s he helped redefine the X-Men alongside Chris Claremont and is also known for his work on iconic titles such as Wolverine, Witchblade and The Darkness. Eisner-nominated artist Eisma is the co-creator of the New York Times bestselling series Morning Glories. Additionally, his resume includes drawing for Star Trek, and The Flash along with fan favorites from Archie Comics including Riverdale and Jughead: The Hunger.
Authors Andrea Stewart and Paul Tremblay round out the first wave of the guest announcements. Stewart is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Drowning Empire and The Gods Below and an award-winning and writing coach at The Novelry. Tremblay is the New York Times bestselling author of Horror Movie, The Beast You Are, The Pallbearers, and many more. His novel The Cabin at the End of the World was adapted into the Universal Pictures film Knock at the Cabin.
Comicpalooza 2025 takes place June 20-22 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where fans can enjoy panels, autograph sessions, exclusive merchandise, and a full weekend of immersive pop culture programming. Starting off Friday, fans can expect to see a bustling exhibition floor with vendors from all over the galaxy, programming covering a multitude of fandoms, special attractions intriguing the curious minds, panels featuring this year’s stellar guests, and other geeky entertainment that will make Comicpalooza weekend one for the books!
Comicpalooza continues to be the premier pop-culture event in Houston, offering fans of all genres a chance to experience the magic of their favorite shows, movies, and comics under one roof. The full event schedule, additional celebrity guests, and new attractions will be revealed in the coming weeks.