‘Aliens’ cast to reunite for Calgary convention

If simply the thought of going to a comic convention makes you want to “take off and nuke the entire site from orbit,” then you obviously haven’t heard about the big reunion taking place at the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo next month.

Almost the entire main cast of director James Cameron’s seminal sci-fi actioner “Aliens” are set to reunite during the Calgary pop culture convention on April 26.

“Alien” franchise star Sigourney Weaver will headline Aliens EXPOsed, a celebration of Cameron’s iconic 1986 film. Weaver will be joined by a number of other actors from the movie, including Bill Paxton (Hudson), Lance Henriksen (Bishop), Michael Biehn (Hicks), Paul Reiser (Carter Burke), Jenette Goldstein (Vasquez), Mark Roltson (Drake) and even Carrie Henn (Newt). The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo will be the first time that the majority of the cast have appeared together since the 1986 release of the film.

With the exception of Henn, who is now a school teacher in California, all of the “Aliens” actors set to appear in Calgary are still in show business. Paul Reiser starred opposite Helen Hunt in the hit sitcom "Mad About You" in the 1990s, while Paxton went on to star in "Twister" and "Big Love," and now has a recurring role on "Agents of "S.H.I.E.L.D." Goldstein became regular collaborators with director Cameron, working with him again on movies like “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” and “Titanic,” while Biehn, Henriksen, and Roltson continue to show up in parts both large and small on TV and in the movies.

This isn’t the first time the Calgary convention has played host to a major pop culture reunion. In 2012, the con hosted the entire cast of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for a rare one-off appearance. Actors from fan favourite TV shows like "Game of Thrones," "Firefly," and "Torchwood" have also made joint appearances at the convention in recent years, but this is the first time the convention (any convention outside of San Diego for that matter) has brought together a high profile movie cast like this.

Weaver and Paxton rarely do convention appearances, so the Aliens EXPOsed reunion is sure to make Calgary a must-attend event for any longtime fan of the film. If only James Cameron weren't so busy shooting the "Avatar" sequels, he might be able to pop home to his native Canada to join in the fun.

The Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo runs from April 24 to 27.