EW PopFest Promises Exclusive Sneak Peeks at Hot Entertainment

EW PopFest is coming to L.A. in October, and it’s bringing along a smorgasbord of celebrity guests, panels, and–perhaps most excitingly–sneak previews.

Pop culture conventions are a coveted experience across virtually any fandom. Since geographical and financial barriers stand in the way of many attending, large subsets of fans must turn to the internet for what they missed. Thankfully, attendees are eager to share their newly acquired wealth of knowledge. As someone who’s lost hours standing in convention lines, I must admit, sometimes Tumblr has the best front-row seat to panels and sneak peeks.

However, it sounds like this year’s EW PopFest is one your average fangirl won’t want to miss, if they can swing it. Entertainment Weekly has put together quite the lineup for their event, which runs from October 29th-30th. It’s a mere two days, but so far EW has showcased some big names to get fans across all walks of media interested. We may be in the back half of 2016, but this upcoming convention just goes to show there’s a lot left to look forward to.

This year has proven to be quite the Harry Potter comeback, so it’s only natural that EW would snag a Potterverse inhabitant for an appearance. Star of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Eddie Redmayne, will hit the stage on Sunday for a fan Q&A. Afterwards, Redmayne will take fans into an exclusive look at his new movie. No word on what that sneak peek will entail, but that leaves Potterheads room to do what we do best: Theorize.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Promotional Image, via Warner Brothers

Filmmakers have already confirmed a few beasts. But will more take to the screen in this preview? Or will the bowtruckle, demiguise, niffler, and Swooping Evil be all we get until the movie’s November release? Will we see a run-in between Newt and the American wizarding government? Maybe Newt and a beast, or a panicking horde of No-Majs (non-magical people)? Perchance we’ll finally get a little Ezra Miller in the throes of 1920s New York? Time will tell.

It’s not only Harry Potter that’s generating major convention buzz. On Saturday, Gilmore Girls devotees will get their first look at Netflix’s highly anticipated revival. Dynamic duo Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino will reveal extended, new footage of their hit show. It will only be a taste of what fans can expect from the four-part premiere on November 25th. But I’ll bet a hot buck that it’ll still be better than the entirety of The Season That Shall Not Be Named. (Okay, so that would be Season 7, in case clarification is needed.) Most of the original cast is returning to the small screen for this trip back to Stars Hollow. As such, there’s a world of opportunity for what this sneak peek might unveil.

For instance: Confirmation that Luke and Lorelai are together? An extended shot of the always fabulous Emily Gilmore sauntering down a dramatically lit corridor? Dean pouting, Jess writing sad poetry, Logan making paper airplanes out of $100 bills, and Rory wondering why she ever bothered with any of them in the first place? Paris ruling the world? You know what, I’ll just take all of that, thanks.

Fantastic Beasts and Gilmore Girls may take the cake for PopFest’s biggest events. Good thing they’re happening on separate days, or time constraints could put attendees in a pickle. But the convention will be catering to plenty of other interests as well.

Full shot of Jared Padalecki as Dean sitting on couch with Alexis Bledel as Rory, Lauren Graham as Lorelai and Scott Patterson as Luke. (Photo by Scott Garfield/Warner Bros./Getty Images)

If you’re attending PopFest as a bookworm, there’s a lot for you to enjoy. Fans of Stephen King will get a first look at The Dark Tower. Book signings will abound, featuring authors Chris Colfer, Terry McMillan, Jade Chang, Anne Rice, and more.

Not to mention, if you’re an aspiring writer yourself, there’s definitely room for you… Well, if you’re into friend fiction, anyway. The cast of Bob’s Burgers will be performing a live reading, which can only end in pure comedic gold. Moreover, it will be interesting for fans to see the cartoon performed in this new medium. Other guests include talk show host James Corden (carpool karaoke, anyone?) and the adorable, enigmatic, and my long-time girl crush Anna Faris. The latter will join other podcasts in live recordings of their respective shows.

This is just a sampling of what PopFest has to offer. And they’re not done, either, if the event site is to be believed. Listed at the end of their Talent section is an intriguing “More to come…” Oh, ellipses, how you tease us. With the lineup looking the way it is, I can only fan myself in anticipation for what comes next. I mean, I might not be able to score a flight out to L.A., but I can look forward to the videos attendees are sure to post online during and after the event. Don’t try and stop them, EW–we’re all desperate for the goods.

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To learn more about EW PopFest and how you can get your tickets, visit the official event website.