Star Wars Celebration is only a few months away after skipping all of 2018. The big event happens in Chicago this April. To get fans excited, Lucasfilm and Disney have announced their stellar line-up along with an all-new poster created exclusively for this celebration of a Galaxy far, far away. The artistic rendering shows the light and dark sides of the Force, encompassed by the iconic Jedi Order symbol. Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader split the poster down the middle, representing their opposing sides.
There are going to be a ton of actors and artists associated with the Star Wars franchise heading to the Windy City this spring. Headlining this biannual circus in 2019 is Joonas Suotamo, who is perhaps best known for portraying Chewbacca in the new Star Wars trilogy as well as his co-starring role in the standalone spinoff Solo. He stands at a towering 6-foot-11, but don't let that stop you from getting an autograph. The Finland native is as nice as they come.
Joonas took over the role of Chewbacca from Peter Mayhew, working alongside the iconic actor on the set of The Force Awakens. He fully embraced the role for The Last Jedi, and will return this December in Star Wars 9. He has appeared in more of the new Star Wars movies than any of the other actors, and is being celebrated for continuing to carry this legendary character into the future.
Joonas is just one of many iconic Star Wars actors making their way to Celebration this spring. You'll be able to get a few selection seconds of FaceTime with the man behind Chewbacca at the Topps autograph area. Joining him will be Sam Witwer, who brought Maul to life in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and recently as the voice and other half of the horn-headed Zabrak to Ray Park's performance in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Greg Grunberg, who has brought Resistance X-wing pilot Snap Wexley to the screen in The Force Awakens, will also be there alongside: Dave Chapman, the puppeteer who has helped bring BB-8, Rio Durant, and Lady Proxima to life in the sequel trilogy and Solo: A Star Wars Story; Greg Proops, who has lent his voice most recently to Star Wars Resistance as Jak Sivrak and Garma, and previously voiced Fode in The Phantom Menace; Paul Kasey, who played Admiral Raddus in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Ello Asty in The Force Awakens; Ian McElhinney, who played General Dodonna in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; and Orli Shoshan, Shaak Ti in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Lucasilm had this to say about the new poster that was released.
"Reach out with your feelings. What do you see? The symbol of the ancient Jedi Order strikes a balance between the light and the dark in the official poster art for Star Wars Celebration Chicago. Today, you can get your first glimpse at the saga-sweeping design featuring some fan-favorite heroes and villains: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, Leia Organa and Emperor Palpatine, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul, and Kylo Ren and Rey."
Taking a stroll through Artist Alley at Star Wars Celebration will bring fans face to face with some familiar creators and new faces this year: Malcom Tween, Darren Tan, Jason Christman, Zoltan Simon, Joey Spiotto, Brian Miller, Matt Busch, Chris Trevas, Karen Hallion, Adrianna Vanderstelt, Danny Haas, Jason Palmer, Spencer Brinkerhoff, Kaela Croft, Brandon Kenney, Russel Walks, Dianne Harrop, Kayla Woodside, Alex Buechel, Cryssy Cheung, Steve Anderson, Brian DeGuire, Chris Dee, Michael Pasquale, Cat Staggs, Jerry Vanderstelt, and Brian Rood.
Check back on StarWars.com for more Star Wars Celebration Chicago updates! Star Wars Celebration Chicago will take place April 11-15 at McCormick Place.
