Steel City Con returns to the Monroeville Convention Center with an updated celebrity lineup

Monroeville Convention Center once again will be the hub of all things pop culture and comics as Steel City Con returns for its summer convention.

About 12,000 people attended last August, and organizers are hoping to match or exceed that number despite several big-name cancellations.

SSC officials had announced a major “Dexter” reunion with stars Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, James Remar, C.S. Lee, David Zayas and Eric King on the docket.

Several Facebook posts on its official page in July had promoted the reunion, as well as reminders of discount ticket sales.

However, it was announced Aug. 1 that the much anticipated gathering would take place without Dexter, himself, as Hall had to postpone his appearance. The actor released a statement, which was posted to SSC’s Facebook:

“While I would love to still attend Steel City Con in August, I have an unavoidable personal commitment that I have to attend to during that time and am unable to make it. I will certainly try to make a future Steel City Con to meet the fans of my work. Thank you all for your understanding.”

The rest of the “Dexter” stars are still on the schedule.

Singer Paula Abdul also announced she would be postponing her SSC appearance due to scheduling conflicts. Abdul said via video she will be at the Dec. 10 convention.

Refunds were in the works for Abdul and Hall photo and autograph packages.

“While we were disappointed with Paula Abdul and Michael C. Hall canceling, life happens, and we will be happy to reschedule them soon,” SSC co-owner Rob Stein said Aug. 3. “We’ve tried many celebrities to bring in on short notice, but many are on vacation or have work conflicts.”

Other notable cancellations include Mia Farrow, John Carroll Lynch and Ernie Hudson.

SSC was able to add Sean Patrick Flanery (“The Boondock Saints,” “Powder,” “The Dead Zone”) and Larry Thomas (“Seinfeld,” “Postal”) within the past few weeks.

Also scheduled to attend are horror-film maker John Carpenter, pro wrestling’s “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Zachary Levi (“Video Game High School,” “Shazam” and “Thor” franchises), Danny Trejo (“Machete,” “The Devil’s Rejects,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” “Heat”) and Michael Rooker (“The Walking Dead,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”).

Other celebrity guests include ’90s teen idol and multi-MTV Movie Award winner Alicia Silverstone (“The Crush,” “Clueless,” “Batman & Robin,” Aerosmith music videos), Bronson Pinchot and Mark Linn-Baker from the sitcom “Perfect Strangers,” and Cooper Andrews and Tom Payne from “The Walking Dead.”

Judy Kuhn, the original voice of Disney’s “Pocahontas,” is expected to not only be available for photos and autographs all three days, but sing “Colors of the Wind” at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 14 in the Events Room.

SSC also hosts hundreds of vendors selling various movie and TV memorabilia, as well as video games, action figures, prints, posters and more. A costume contest with cash prizes and trophies closes out the activities on the final day.

Attendees should use caution when parking. The outdoor ticket area is usually roped off for patron safety, and there have been parking lot attendants at neighboring businesses trying to keep spaces free.