Game of Thrones author George R R Martin gave the premiere of House of the Dragon here a miss after he tested positive for COVID-19.
Martin contracted the virus in the days following his appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con panel of House of the Dragon, based on his book Fire & Blood set generations before the events of Game of Thrones.
According to Variety, HBO and HBO Max's chief content officer Casey Bloys on Wednesday evening informed the audience at the Los Angeles premiere of the upcoming fantasy series about Martin's absence.
"I was going to start today by introducing George R R Martin and tell you how great it is to have George on the journey with us. Unfortunately, George got COVID at Comic-Con, so he's not here. I think he's feeling fine, so nothing to worry about," said Bloys.
"I wanted to tell you what a pleasure it is and how lucky we are to have the architect of this world on this journey with us. He has been fantastic," he added.
Last Saturday, Martin had directly addressed the topic of COVID-19 during the show's Comic-Con panel, sharing that he had been exercising caution and remaining socially distanced throughout the pandemic.
He had said he spent a lot of time at his Santa Fe home and chose not to visit the House of the Dragon set during production.
During the premiere, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapotchnik, who serve as co-executive producer and co-showrunners on House of the Dragon, introduced the evening's screening of the series pilot.
"House of the Dragon could not exist without the beautiful work and words of George R R Martin. We are incredibly grateful that he was bold enough to entrust his opus to me as the writer and Miguel as the director," said Condal.
House of the Dragon will air on HBO and HBO Max in the US on August 21. In India, the series will start streaming on Disney Hotstar from August 22.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Stree 2 Producer On Film Clashing With Vedaa, Khel Khel Mein: "Survival Of The Fittest" Rebel Wilson Faces Lawsuit Ahead Of Directorial Debut's Premiere At TIFF Busy With Shooting, Junaid Khan Has No Time To Celebrate Maharaj's Success: Sources Abhishek Likes Post On "Divorces" Amid Rumours Of Separation From Aishwarya The Big Surprise In Stree 2 Trailer: A Cameo By Tamannaah Dune: Prophecy Teaser Eclipsed By Tabu's First Look As Sister Francesca Google Brings AI To US Broadcast Of Paris Olympics Video: Children Jump On E-Rickshaw, Chase Foreigners For Money In Delhi "Every Time I Try To Eat Healthy" - Video Creator's Editing Skills Amaze Internet Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.