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A recently deceased zombie killer and a master character actor are the first celebrities announced for Salt Lake Comic Con's FanX 2017, organizers announced Tuesday.
Actors Michael Cudlitz and Wallace Shawn will be appearing at FanX during its two-day run, March 17 and 18, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.
Cudlitz played Sgt. Abraham Ford, one of the survivors battling zombies on AMC's "The Walking Dead." Ford was on the receiving end of Lucille, the barbed-wire-encrusted baseball bat of the villain Negan, in last season's cliffhanger ending — though his death wasn't revealed until this season's opener.
Cudlitz also appeared in the World War II miniseries "Band of Brothers," and has done voice work for several titles in the "Call of Duty" video-game series.
Shawn's compact frame and jowly face have been a staple in movies and TV for decades. Shawn may be most recognizable to fantasy fans for "The Princess Bride," where he played the criminal mastermind Vizzini — known for overusing the word "inconceivable."
Kids will know Shawn's voice work as Rex, the nervous dinosaur in the "Toy Story" franchise. Fans of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" will know Shawn as Grand Nagus Zek, leader of the money-grubbing Ferengi.
Shawn, a writer and playwright, played a version of himself in one of his first star-making roles, conversing about theater and life with stage director Andre Gregory in the 1981 cult classic "My Dinner With Andre." He's also appeared in Woody Allen's "Manhattan," "All That Jazz," "Clueless," "Vanya on 42nd Street," and this year's "Maggie's Plan."
Tickets for FanX are on sale now, at the event's website.