“Come on you apes, you wanna live forever?” NexCon 3 is here!

Fans of the cult-classic Starship Troopers are very familiar with its post-apocalyptic alien-infested world wherein Col. Johnny Rico led his Roughnecks in the fight against the vast bug armies. Even more hardcore fans would know that the original Starship Troopers novel by Robert A. Heinlein was originally set in the Philippines, and Johnny Rico, along with most of his Roughnecks, are born and raised in the Pearl of the Orient.

On April 2 to 3, 2016, Col. Johnny Rico himself is calling upon his true-blue Filipino Roughnecks to gather and be by his side at NexCon 3. CASPER VAN DIEN, who played the Rico in the 1997 film, will be at the event to sign autographs and interact with his Filipino fans. While Van Dien’s breakthrough role was that of Rico in Starship Troopers, he also has an acting resume that spans a whole lot of other fandoms. He was also in Tim Burton’s critically acclaimed film Sleepy Hollow as Brom Bones. He was the 20th Tarzan and the only one to ever film in Africa and ride an African elephant in the Warner Bros. film Tarzan and the Lost City. He’s also acted for webshows like the Machinima hit Mortal Kombat Legacy where he played Johnny Cage, and the Agents of SHIELD parody Interns of FIELD, where he played Hawk Guy. Most recently, he just finished shooting the action thriller Showdown in Manila, co-starring Iza Calzado and directed by Mark Dacascos.

Aside from Van Dien, NexCon 3 will also feature other special guests including TV director MARK REYES and lead artist NOEL FLORES for a special presentation on the upcoming Encantadia “requel” on GMA NETWORK; superstar comic book artist LEINIL YU (Star Wars, Superman: Birthright, Secret Invasion, Wolverine); premiere cosplayers JIN JOSON, MIGUEL MERCADO, and GUY SINGZON; independent comic book creators TEPAI PASCUAL, MEL CASIPIT, RH QUILANTANG, and GIO PAREDES; YouTube sensations CHRIS CANTADA (Chris Cantada Force) and DIWA DE LEON (String Player Gamer); Filipino scientists RON CRUZ and UZZIEL PEREEZ and science journalist TJ DIMACALI; and entrepreneurs FREDDIE TAN (Neutral Grounds), JAY MATA (Ludo), and IVAN GUERRERO (Filbar’s). The PHILIPPINE GARRISON OF THE 501ST LEGION and PHILROBOTICS will also discuss DIY robot-building.

The convention will also feature a good number of activities to keep all the geeks busy: Captain a spaceship and blow up your fellow geeks in the ARTEMIS SPACESHIP BRIDGE SIMULATOR GRAND TOURNAMENT! Slug it out for geek supremacy at GEEK FIGHT BATTLE ROYALE! The best of the best in cosplay compete in COSPLAY RUMBLE and COSPLAY MASQUERADE! Cosplayers will also battle it out in the performance of their lives in LIP SYNC KOMBAT! Winners of the TAKE COVER Photo Contest will be announced!

For complete list of activities and guests, please visit the NexCon website.

NEXCON 3 happens on April 2 and 3, 2016 at Function Room 5 of the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. General Admission tickets are Php 350 per day only and can be purchased at all SM Tickets outlets nationwide and online at https://smtickets.com/events/view/4210 .

NEXCON 3 is co-presented by Cosplay.ph and Stompworks Studios; made possible by Ludus Distributors, Inc., The Mind Museum, IBM, SM Cyberzone, CIIT College of Arts and Technology, Digipost, Snack Time, Bandai, Devant, and Yoshinoya; Content Partners Komikon, Philippine Garrison of the 501st Legion, Geekfight! Trivia Night, Warner Bros., Philrobotics, and Mobile IT for Youth; Media Partners GMA 7, Hero TV, GIST, Inquirer.net, WheninManila.com, Arkadymac, What’s a Geek, and FanboySEO; Venue Partner SMX Convention Center; Exclusive Ticketing Partners SM Tickets and SM Cinema.