Game of Thrones showrunners not going to San Diego Comic-Con after all

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Writer/producers David Benioff (L) and D.B. Weiss accept Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for 'Game of Thrones' episode 'Battle of the Bastards' onstage during the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Writer/producers David Benioff (L) and D.B. Weiss accept Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for 'Game of Thrones' episode 'Battle of the Bastards' onstage during the 68th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September 18, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

A couple weeks back, HBO announced the lineup for the Game of Thrones panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, which is going down this weekend. It was a pretty big list of names, and included Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei of Naath), Iain Glen (Ser Jorah Mormont), Conleth Hill (Varys), Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Isaac Hempstead Wright (Bran Stark), as well as director Miguel Sapochnik and showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Now, a couple days out from the Friday panel, HBO released the finalized list of names, and a few people have dropped out:

Still coming are Williams, Anderson, Coster-Waldau, Wright, Bradley, Cunningham and Hill. No longer appearing are Emmanuel, Glen, Sapochnik, Benioff or Weiss. That’s a pretty big drop off — nearly half the panel — but conflicts do come up. Still, it’s a shame fans won’t get a fuller roster to talk with here at the end of the show.

RELATED PRODUCT

Cleveland Indians Slider Game Of Thrones Mascot Bobblehead
Cleveland Indians Slider Game Of Thrones Mascot Bobblehead

Cleveland Indians Slider Game Of Thrones Mascot Bobblehead

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

I’m sure the bulk of the attention will be on Benioff and Weiss. The pair haven’t made a public appearance since the end of the series, which was vocally derided by a good chunk of fans. Honestly, I was a little afraid some of the more fervent fans would make things weird, but it looks like that potential problem, at least, can be avoided.

And just to get out ahead of this, no, we don’t know why Benioff or Weiss dropped out, no more than we know when Glen or Emmanuel or Sapochnik did. Honestly, convention appearances are cancelled at a pretty high rate, whether it’s Con of Thrones or San Diego Comic-Con, and often on short notice. The optics on this one are pretty bad, since there was such anticipation to speak to Benioff and Weiss about the final season, but cancellations themselves are quite frequent.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Watch Game of Thrones for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels

h/t Entertainment Weekly