‘Back To The Future’ 40th Anniversary, ‘Smallville’ Stars Among Early Headliners As Fan Expo New Orleans Returns, January 10-12, 2025

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson Top ‘BTTF’ Standouts, Plus Michael Rosenbaum, Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk in First Celebrity Wave at New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

NEW ORLEANS, October 4, 2025—The way we see it, if you’re going to build a pop culture convention, why not do it with some style? With apologies to Doc Brown, if our calculations are correct, FAN EXPO New Orleans brings every gigawatt of energy with its first wave of celebrities attending the annual extravaganza, January 10-12, 2025, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Headlining an already impressive lineup are four beloved stars of the Back to the Future trilogy, including Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Tom Wilson, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first installment in the franchise (and 140th anniversary of the 1885 setting of BTTF3!)And if that weren’t enough, fans of “Smallville” can meet a trio of standouts from that landmark series, including Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk. And “Firefy” standout Alan Tudyk is also part of the initial lineup announcement, a superhero’s start to what will surely be another huge celebration in the Big Easy.

FAN EXPO New Orleans features the biggest and best in pop culture: movies, TV, music, artists, writers, exhibitors, cosplay, with three full days of themed programming to satisfy every fandom.Michael J. Fox debuted as a professional actor at 15, co-starring in the sitcom “Leo and Me” on CBC. When he was 18, Fox moved to Los Angeles. He had a series of bit parts, including one in “Palmerstown USA” before winning the role of lovable conservative Alex P. Keaton on NBC’s enormously popular “Family Ties” (1982-89). During Fox’s seven years on “Ties,” he earned three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe, making him one of the country’s most prominent young actors. The five-time Emmy winner (in addition to the three for “Family Ties,” he also won one for “Spin City” and one for a guest role on “Rescue Me”) received an honorary Oscar for his commitment to the campaign for increased Parkinson’s research in 2022.He may be best known to FAN EXPO fans for his iconic portrayal of “Doc Brown,” but Christopher Lloyd’s career includes blockbuster films including The Addams Family and Who Framed Roger Rabbit and classic series like “Taxi” and the animated “Cyberchase.” Some of Lloyd’s other top credits include Dennis the Menace, Angels in the Outfield, To Be or Not to Be, Clue and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.In addition to playing “Lorraine Baines McFly” alongside Fox, Lea Thompson starred in SpaceCamp, Howard the Duck, Dennis the Menace, Some Kind of Wonderful, All the Right Moves and numerous other hit films. She has guest starred in many TV series and had success with the NBC situation comedy “Caroline in the City” in the late 1990s before starring in several Broadway plays.Tom Wilson is a character actor, writer and comedian with more than 100 film and TV credits. Wilson burst into the BTTF movies as the now iconic bully “Biff,” his grandson “Griff,” and even his own great grandfather, gunslinger Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen, for which he won the Saturn Award for best supporting actor. He’s also known for roles in “Freaks and Geeks,” “Wing Commander,” April Fool’s Day, “Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous” and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”

Tom Welling is probably best known for his role as “Clark Kent” in “Smallville.” He has also played “Lt. Marcus Pierce / Cain” in “Lucifer” and “’Karate Rob’ Meltzer” in “Judging Amy” and has had roles in the films Cheaper by the Dozen, The Fog, Draft Day and The Choice.Kristin Kreuk appeared on “Smallville” as Clark’s original love interest, “Lana Lang” and was also featured as “Catherine Chandler” in The CW sci-fi series “Beauty & the Beast” and as “Joanna Hanley” in the CBC legal drama series “Burden of Truth.”Michael Rosenbaum starred in the role of “Lex Luthor” on “Smallville” and most recently as the character “Buddy Dobbs” on the TV Land series “Impastor.” He is also known for voicing “Wally West / The Flash” on the popular animated series “Justice League” and “Justice League Unlimited.”

Alan Tudyk gained fans’ attention when he starred as wise-cracking “Hoban ‘Wash’ Washburne” in “Firefly” and Serenity, and later grabbed the “Star Wars” fandom with his portrayal of “K-2SO” in Rogue One. He currently stars as “Harry Vanderspeigle” in “Resident Alien” and also appeared in Wreck it Ralph and 42 and has lent his voice to characters in hits like “American Dad,” “Harley Quinn,” “Transformers: Earthspeak” and “Star vs. the Forces of Evil.”

New Orleans is the first event on the 2025 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events/.

ABOUT FAN EXPO HQ

FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO San Francisco, FAN EXPO Dallas, FAN EXPO Canada, MEGACON Orlando, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Denver, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Cleveland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, Toronto Comicon, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL, and EDMONTON EXPO. The latest schedule of events is available here on their website, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.