Exciting news for science fiction fans: the Eleventh Doctor is coming to Edmonton this fall.
Actor Matt Smith is the first celebrity guest to be announced for the 7th annual Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo taking place this September.
Smith, 35, earned a global fanbase and critical accolades as the lead in the BBC super-series Doctor Who, from 2010 to 2014.
Doctor Who is a science-fiction programme with a cult following. The Doctor is a time-travelling scientist from a far-off planet who is able to evolve his biology, so he appears as many different people throughout the series.
WATCH: Doctor Who gets a Royal visit from Prince Charles and Camilla
Smith was most recently seen on screen as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown, an award-winning drama about the Royal Family.
Smith recently made headlines after news broke that he was initially paid more than fellow actor Claire Foy who played Queen Elizabeth — the very subject of the series. The producers acknowledged it was because at the time of casting, Smith was already famous for his role in Doctor Who, while Foy was relatively unknown.
While Smith’s salary wasn’t stated outright, Foy was paid $40,000 per episode, according to a breakdown of TV stars’ pay. (When Smith first started on Doctor Who, he signed a three-year, £600,000 contract — just over $1 million in Canadian dollars.)
The Crown, one of the most expensive TV shows in history, had an approximate budget of US$7 million an episode.
The show’s producers later apologized and said, “Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen.”
READ MORE: ‘The Crown’ production company apologizes to Claire Foy, Matt Smith over pay controversy
Season Three of The Crown will see the story jump forward into the 1960s, with new actors in all major roles, so Smith has been replaced by Tobias Menzies (Outlander, Game of Thrones, Rome.) Olivia Colman is taking over the role of Her Majesty.
READ MORE: ‘The Crown’ casts new Queen Elizabeth for Season 3
Smith has been cast as infamous killer and cult leader Charles Manson in the upcoming independent feature Charlie Says.
This is Smith’s first appearance at the Edmonton Expo: an annual, all-ages, all-fandoms convention from Sept. 21 to 23 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.
Tickets will go on sale online Wednesday at 10 a.m. Single-day passes start at $20 for adults.
READ MORE: Marvel and Doctor Who stars appearing at Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo
The Expo said guest announcements will continue this week, and throughout the summer leading up to the big weekend and will feature actors, creators and artists, cosplayers, and more.
Notable previous guests have included comic book legend Stan Lee, Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, Lord of the Ring‘s John Rhys Davies and Billy Boyd, Back to the Future‘s Christopher Lloyd, and Mr. Robot‘s Christian Slater.
READ MORE: Star Wars’ Princess Leia’s trip to Edmonton delights sci-fi fans