This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake Comic Con has found a bigger room for actor Mark Hamill's appearance at the science-fiction and fantasy convention: Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Organizers for Salt Lake Comic Con announced Friday that they have booked the arena, the 19,991-seat home of the Utah Jazz, for Hamill's panel appearance Thursday, Sept. 1.
"Our goal is to make all our fans' dreams come true and given fan response and input, we knew we needed to do something big," Dan Farr, co-founder and show producer of Salt Lake Comic Con, said in a statement. The Viv, Farr noted, has more than four times the capacity as the convention's biggest space, the Salt Palace Convention Center's Grand Ballroom.
Hamill's appearance, tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m., effectively kicks off the three-day comic convention at the Salt Palace. The Viv is across the street from the Salt Palace's back entrance on 300 West.
Hamill — who plays Luke Skywalker, the farmboy-turned-Jedi hero of the "Star Wars" movies — is making Salt Lake City his only U.S. convention appearance this year.
In addition to "Star Wars," Hamill is known for providing the voice of The Joker, from "Batman: The Animated Series" in the 1990s to this year's "Batman: The Killing Joke." He recently filmed his role in next year's "Star Wars: Episode VIII" and a part in the indie comedy "Brigsby Bear," which was shot in Utah.
Salt Lake Comic Con ticket buyers and pass holders will be able to attend Hamill's appearance; details for queuing will be announced next week.
Advance tickets for Salt Lake Comic Con are $20 for Thursday, $35 for Friday and $45 for Saturday — with multipasses selling in advance for $60, Gold passes for $95, and VIP passes for $230. Tickets and passes are on sale at the event's website (http://saltlakecomiccon.com).
A limited number of photo opportunities with Hamill, which include a pre-autographed photo and priority seating at The Viv, are on sale for $375, also at the event's website.
Hamill won't be the only famous face at The Viv that morning. Sen. Mike Lee's annual Work Force Solutions Summit is scheduled for the arena's 200-seat VIP room at the same time as Hamill's appearance — with speakers including Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence, former Hewlett-Packard boss Carly Fiorina and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.
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