WiCnet Live Blogs the Game of Thrones Panel from SDCC 2015

Today’s the day folks! Our favorite show—Game of Thrones—takes center stage in the glorious and legendary Hall H at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. We’ve already lined out who will be there, but just as a refresher, let’s re-familiarize ourselves, shall we?

• Director David Nutter
• Sophie Turner  — Sansa Stark
• Maisie Williams — Arya Stark
• Alfie Allen — Theon Greyjoy
• John Bradley — Samwell Tarly
• Gwendoline Christie — Brienne of Tarth
• Liam Cunningham — Davos Seaworth
• Natalie Dormer — Margaery Tyrell
• Conleth Hill — Varys
• Hannah Murray — Gilly
• Carice van Houten — Melisandre

Now, I must warn you, as is the norm in Hall H, big surprises are usually unveiled, and I would not be at all shocked to see some surprise guests take the stage. It’s like Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige (who has plenty of experience in Hall H) told The Hollywood Reporter:

"If you can’t go to Comic-Con and over-deliver, then don’t go."

He’s not wrong, and Marvel Studios has definitely done their fair share of “over-delivering” in the past, which is one of the reasons why the company decided to bow out this year…they just weren’t prepared. The Game of Thrones Panel has held court in Hall H in previous years, but never has there been so much pressure to get it right.

Kit Harignton – Rose Leslie, John Bradley at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con

For one, there will be no Kit Harington. Even after Ygritte was killed off the show by that smug little jerk Olly, Rose Leslie still appeared to thousands of appreciative and adoring fans, who gave her a thunderous applause. So why no Snow? Also absent from this year’s panel is George R.R. Martin, who announced that he would be missing events like this in order to finish The Winds of Winter, the sixth book in his Song of Ice and Fire series.

Perhaps the biggest and most confusing absences from this year’s Game of Thrones Panel are David Benioff and Dan Weiss. The dynamic duo are usually on hand to introduce the cast and applaud the fans for waiting in line to squeeze into the packed Hall H. But they won’t be there this year. Some speculate their absence has more to do with pre-production for Season 6, which that was also true of previous years.

My personal opinion is that they are trying to avoid the Jon Snow Affect. There is doubt in my mind that if the two showrunners were in attendance today, there would be an avalanche of Jon Snow questions. Is he really dead? Will he be revived? Why hasn’t he cut his hair? And, if you’re trying to keep what is possibly the biggest cliffhanger since “Who Shot J.R.?” a secret, then staying out of the spotlight would be the safest course of action.

Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, it’s time to get live-blogging. Please stay tuned to WiCnet and this article in particular, as I (Razor) will be live updating as each and every little tidbit of news out of the Game of Thrones panel this evening. Keep the conversation going in the comments below, so we can all talk about it as it happens.

The Panel starts at 2:30 p.m. PDT, which means if you’re on the East Coast, then you’ll be tuning in at 5:30 p.m. For those of us (myself included) who use Central Standard Time, we will be tuning in at 4:30 p.m. So get ready Game of Thrones fans: it’s hopefully going to be a fun ride!

UPDATE 1: Group pics!

UPDATE 2: It’s beginning!

UPDATE 3: Gwendoline Christie — Brienne of Tarth says she did her homework. Meaning she’s read the books!

UPDATE 4:  Host Seth Meyers makes a joke to Alfie Allen: Glad to see you with all ten fingers and all ten toes!

UPDATE 5: John Bradley — “I think Sam will just happily accept more of the same.” — John Bradley on Sam’s relationship with Gilly, played by Hannah Murray

UPDATE 6: Fans applaud David Nutter on his spectacular Season 5 episode, The Dance of Dragons.

UPDATE 7: “Poor Margaery they left her in a cell! “She needs a shower and a coffee, I’m sure, by now.” — Natalie Dormer

UPDATE 8: “You can only play the moment.” Conleth Hill on playing Varys.

UPDATE 9: “The more you know your characters the more painful it is when something bad happens to them.” – Executive Producer Carolyn Strauss

UPDATE 10: CASTING AUDITIONS! We love these so much

UPDATE 11: The cast is on stage!

UPDATE 12: “I think Margaery is in quite a bit of trouble to be honest.” Natalie Dormer on her character’s future

UPDATE 13: “I would wait for the candle.” Gwendoline Christie on what she would change from Season 5 finale.

Update 14: You’ll have to ask the producers why the scene focused on Reek because I was giving a GREAT performance” Sophie Turner

UPDATE 15: “There’s one thing Sansa still is, despite what happened to her, and that’s strong.” Sophie Turner

UPDATE 16:  Maisie was asked to recite her line from Braavos –“OYSTERS CLAMS AND COCKLES”

UPDATE 17: “Ser Pounce was a NIGHTMARE!” Natalie Dormer getting catty — HOW DARE YOU NATALIE DORMER!

UPDATE 18: “Does Melisandre know how to bring people back from the dead?-Who knows man, I can’t tell you anything.”  Carice van Houten

UPDATE 19: “She’ll always trust in him that little bit.” Sophie Turner on Sansa’s relationship with Theon

UPDATE 20: “She likes him but she hates him. There you go.” Sophie on Sansa on her relationship with Theon

UPDATE 21: Conleth Hill jokes he was a trendsetter on Game of Thrones: “I wasn’t the only person on the show to lose something.”

UPDATE 22: “We’d all like to work with Conleth more.” Maisie

UPDATE 23: “The crew and the cast are so tremendous.” David Nutter on how he got through directing some of the biggest Game of Thrones episodes yet, then gets booooooooooed for The Red Wedding. People hold grudges.

UPDATE 24: Van Houten talks about all the hate mail she gets, and how in a way it makes her look forward to next season

UPDATE 25: Audience Q: Reek, you’re a good man who does bad things. Alfie: Half a man…

UPDATE 26: Theon’s outfit at Sansa’s wedding was Robb’s — WOW

UPDATE 27: “We go out and play pool in the evening.” Alfie on his unexpected offscreen friendship with Iwan.

UPDATE 28: David Nutter recounts meeting Pres. Obama, who asked: “You didn’t kill Jon Snow, did you?” “Mr. President, Jon Snow is deader than dead.”

UPDATE 29: “I would love to live in a world where Samwell Tarly is king.” Carice

UPDATE 30: Hodor could do as good a job as anyone of ruling the seven kingdoms, says Gwendoline Christie

That’s it folks. No new casting video, no news of any sorts. It was a complete waste of Hall H.

Next: It's official: Stannis Baratheon is dead