Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis headline Armageddon Expo’s 30th anniversary in Auckland

Two of the stars from the Lord of the Rings film series will return to Auckland for New Zealand’s biggest pop culture expo.

Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis, who played Frodo Baggins and Gollum in the films, will appear at the Armageddon Expo’s 30th anniversary in October.

Andy Serkis played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Event founder Bill Geradts has called it “the most epic pop culture event held in New Zealand since The LOTR Return of the King premiere in 2003”.

Serkis will also return to New Zealand next year to direct and star in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.

The project was announced by Warner Bros last year and has an official release date of December 17, 2027.

It’s the first live-action film in the franchise that won’t be directed by Sir Peter Jackson.

Other members of the wider Lord of the Rings franchise will also appear at Armageddon Expo.

The Hobbit actors Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel) and Graham McTavish (Dwalin) are confirmed as guests.

Armageddon Expo started 30 years ago as a sci-fi and trading card event.

It has now expanded to include a lineup of guests from across sci-fi and fantasy franchises. It will be held at Auckland Showgrounds this year from October 24–27.

Stars of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars are due to appear at the latest Armageddon Expo in Auckland.

Geradts said, “When we started in 1995, Armageddon was a small gathering of sci-fi fans. Over the years, it’s grown into something much bigger - a celebration of every corner of pop culture, from comics and anime to film, gaming and cosplay.

“To see it reach this scale, with so many global names under one roof, is immensely satisfying”.

Fans of the Star Wars franchise can expect to see some of its biggest names appear too.

John Boyega, who played Finn in the sequel trilogy, and New Zealand-born actor Michelle Ang, who voices the character Omega in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, will also be making appearances over the Labour Weekend.

Gaming fans will also be able to see some of the biggest names in the industry at the Auckland Showgrounds.

Nolan North, from the Uncharted series, and Apex Legends voice actors Johnny Young and Mela Lee are part of the wider lineup.

“It’s impossible to overstate how big this is,” Geradts said.

“In 30 years of shows, we’ve hosted some incredible names, but never this many all at once. This lineup is the dream team for Kiwi fans - it’s the sort of event you’ll tell your kids you were there for.”