George RR Martin Couldn’t Go To House Of The Dragon Premiere Because Of Comic-Con
Apparently Martin heard there were Starks to "take care of" at Comic-Con.
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Ahead of its series debut on HBO and HBO Max on August 21, the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon had its premiere on Wednesday 27th July in Los Angeles. The series cast, including the likes of Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, were in attendance, but there was one important figure missing from the event. Deadline reports that George R. R. Martin couldn’t go to the House Of The Dragon premiere because of a covid diagnosis related to Comic-Con.
The House Of The Dragon premiere was held in Los Angeles this past Wednesday at the Academy Museum of Motion pictures. As well as Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy, stars Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine and showrunner/executive producer Miguel Sapochnik were in their Sunday best at the star-spangled event, but unfortunately George R. R. Martin was unable to attend. HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys was on hand to deliver the bad news to the audience attending the premiere, stating that Martin was suffering from covid, which he is suspected to have caught while attending San Diego Comic-Con. Understandably, House of the Dragon had a large presence at Comic-Con and it doesn’t take much to connect Martin’s presence there to his contraction of covid.
House of the Dragon is based on the George R. R. Martin 2018 novel Fire & Blood. Set a few centuries before the events of the HBO hit series Game of Thrones, the series charts the tumultuous period of the House of Targaryen’s reign on the Iron Throne and the events that cause it to unravel. Matt Smith stars as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy stars as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower and Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen. The majority of the trailers for House Of The Dragon have featured Matt Smith and Emma D’Arcy’s characters heavily and it is expected they will be at the center of the show’s plot, whereupon Considine’s King Viserys is debating who to choose as his heir to the Iron Throne. There will also be dragons.
Game of Thrones was undoubtedly one of the biggest hits in modern television history and following the end of its eight-season run, the possibility of spin-offs was always likely. As well as House of the Dragon, it was recently announced that another Game of Thrones spin-off is in the work, this time a sequel series focussing on Jon Snow, with Kit Harrington returning to the role that made him a household name and fan-favourite. Whilst it is disappointing that George R. R. Martin was unable to attend the premiere of the inaugural Game of Thrones spin-off, the world-renowned author will be buoyed by the fact that House of the Dragon (created by Ryan J. Condal in collaboration with Martin) has been getting a number of positive reviews following the screening on Wednesday. Collider reports that not only is House of the Dragon; “vibrant” and “epic,” but some are stating that the show is a “worthy successor” to Game of Thrones. Such positive reviews for his latest live-action adaptation will surely serve as a positive tonic for George R. R. Martin whilst in ill health.
