Game of Thrones to skip Comic Con 2018!

The Game of Thrones cast at San Diego Comic Con 2015
The Game of Thrones cast at San Diego Comic Con 2015

We kinda saw this coming, didn’t we? With season seven finished almost a year ago and season eight about a year in the future still, many of us wondered what HBO could possibly show at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. The answer, as it turns out, is nothing.

It’s not just Game of Thrones that’s skipping San Diego Comic Con 2018, but Westworld too. HBO just sent out the following communiqué informing us of this:

Due to production schedules and air dates for Game of Thrones and Westworld, these series will not be presented at San Diego Comic-Con this summer. HBO has a longstanding relationship with SDCC, and we are very grateful for the fans’ enthusiastic response over the years. We look forward to returning in the future.

On the one hand, these are sad news, as we always get something out of Comic Con, even if it’s just a teaser or behind the scenes featurette or cast announcements. On the other hand, season eight is still being filmed and won’t be aired until next year, so it’s way too early to show anything both from practical and marketing perspectives.

But that’s just my opinion. What do you guys think? Did you expect this and made your peace with it, or does it come as a shocking disappointment?

33 Comments

  1. I’m still hoping we get a definitive teaser and release window by July/August. That seems reasonable.

    If Thrones does air around April of next year, what reason would they have to go back to SDCC in the imminent summer? Does this mean last year was the final time the original series screened and paneled? Or perhaps they’ll just air it in June or early July which would give them more than enough reason to go back.

  2. Noooooooooo! No, we didn’t see this coming, Luka! lol But seriously, I’ve been going onto the SDCC website to check if they’ve posted their schedule for any GoT news, but alas, now I know not to expect it. I was hoping there would be approved set photos or some kind of promo (like last year’s “Long Walk”). 😭😭

  3. Edward,

    HBO looks “forward to returning.” I don’t expect GoT as we know it will be there again, but probably the next series eventually. It actually seems like the con would be somewhat ideal timing for Westworld to me, happening somewhat soon after their season airing. GoT always went with similar timing. What do I know? Maybe HBO is just pissed because the ‘ratings’ have floundered this season, flittering around in the low 1m’s. *shrug*

  4. It’s better than having a panel where no one can say anything but keeps getting asked anyway. Hee.

  5. I did not expect this and I think a lot of people didn’t. But it doesn’t come as a shocking disappointment. It’s fine. We never got anything that great at Comic Con. Except in 2014.

  6. Clob:
    Maybe HBO is just pissed because the ‘ratings’ have floundered this season, flittering around in the low 1m’s.*shrug*

    It’s off topic, but where can I find ratings for Westworld?

  7. Clob,

    Here’s hoping GoT doesn’t see a similar drop in ratings. I love watching the ratings eclipse every season.

  8. Ugh!like most I was expecting some kind of teaser or a promo or something – anything! It’s going to be a long wait. 😐

  9. mau,

    The ratings aren’t bad, but I think some people thought Westworld would be the next Game of Thrones in terms of popularity.

  10. mau:
    Clob,

    Yeah, it’s worse than S1, but still fine for HBO’s standards.

    It is, just not trending the right way or taking off as their next flagship program quite like they seemed to express was their hope. I’m not saying it can’t rebound and grow, but the pattern this season isn’t good. GoT is on a level by itself for them now as it has continued growth season after season. Then there was The Sopranos and True Blood that achieved great or good numbers and sustained them. I’m sure HBO has had plenty of meetings lamenting the WW trend.

  11. Edward,

    No way. S8 will break all records. It will be the biggest GoT season ever.

    I mean GOT already has unparalleled success. How many drama TV shows were growing for 7 seasons?

  12. Boo-urns! That’s disappointing, but kind of expected when you think about it. An hour-long panel of dodgy, vague statements on season 8 really isn’t that interesting. And they don’t need SDCC to show a teaser/poster/etc. if they so desire to in July.

    Also, an hour-long panel of the actors telling us how “bittersweet” the ending will be would send Ten Bears running for the hills! 🙂

  13. Clob,

    I think one season every 2 years is hurting the show. It would hurt even GoT if they did it from the start.

  14. Pigeon:
    It’s better than having a panel where no one can say anything but keeps getting asked anyway. Hee.

    ….or the panel gets asked the same inane questions they’re asked every year, like:

    “If you could be another character on the show other than your own, who would it be?”

    “Would you rather have a dragon or a direwolf?”

    “Who do you think should sit the Iron Throne?”

    “Maisie… My name is Melvin. Could you recite your kill list and include my name in it?”

    “Rory, can you give me any clues about what happens to the Hound?”
    RM: “F*ck off.”

    “Question for Sophie: Do you want Dany’s baby to be a boy or a girl?”
    [ST chugs vodka under table out of boredom]
    “What was the question?”

    There you go. GoT at 2018 ComicCon in a nutshell.

  15. Ten Bears: ….or the panel gets asked the same inane questions they’re asked every year, like:

    “If you could be another character on the show other than your own, who would it be?”

    “Would you rather have a dragon or a direwolf?”

    “Who do you think should sit the Iron Throne?”

    “Maisie… My name is Melvin. Could you recite your kill list and include my name in it?”

    “Rory, can you give me any clues about what happens to the Hound?” RM: “F*ck off.”

    “Question for Sophie: Do you want Dany’s baby to be a boy or a girl?”
    [ST chugs vodka under table out of boredom]
    “What was the question?”

    There you go. GoT at 2018 ComicCon in a nutshell.

    As much as I’d assumed we’d have a GoT panel at SDCC, you do have a point. That said, I would’ve liked maybe a panel of actors that have been in the show for multiple seasons reflecting on their experiences of filming and what the show coming to an end means for them etc.

    For next year, I can maybe see the cast from the spin-off pilot having a panel? I guess it depends on the timing of filming and post for that.

  16. On the one hand, these are sad news,

    That can’t be right (this is sad news)?

    um calling Stannis, your red pen is sorely needed here..

  17. Whaaa! I finally get a pass to my first SDCC, hand sew a really nice Olenna outfit, and book 3,000 mile flight, hugely overpriced hotel room and all…. does anyone know if any of the GOT cast members will be there in their other roles such as Aquaman, Star Wars characters, etc?

  18. ash: That can’t be right (this is sad news)?

    um calling Stannis, your red pen is sorely needed here..

    http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.516.6504&rep=rep1&type=pdf

    “Many of the British examples strike American speakers as completely unacceptable, even ‘awful’, to quote one young informant. In a test performed on students from the United States and Britain, samples of British-style collective agreement were corrected by Americans 95 percent of the time, compared to 29 percent by British students (Johansson 1979).”

  19. This actually isn’t as obvious or logical as some seem to think.

    “[S]eason eight is still being filmed and won’t be aired until next year, so it’s way too early to show anything both from practical and marketing perspectives.”

    Except for the fact that every time they’ve come to SDCC previously, they had only been filming the upcoming season for 2-3 weeks, and were about 9 months from the beginning of the next season. They used to end their seasons in June, start filming in July, and still be at SDCC by late July, talking about the next season starting in spring of the following year.

    Now SDCC is about 9-10 months after the start of filming. They absolutely could have had a small panel, talking about the upcoming climax, discussing the writing process on the final season, presenting some new cast members, giving a retrospective on the series, airing a short teaser (just like Westworld did last year, for Season 2, when they had only been filming for about a week), etc…

    This was their last opportunity for an SDCC appearance, since the show is ending next year. Unless they push Season 8 to the summer of 2019, we’re never getting a GoT panel ever again. That does somewhat disappoint me.

  20. No big deal. The main cast have not gone to Comic Con for years and we have never got a proper trailer during the con. So I don’t think we will be missing anything.

  21. Considering that most of the GOT panels at Comicon have sucked I really don’t think this is an issue. They aren’t gonna lose anything bu not being in a convention centre.

  22. I must say I am disappointed as with filming finished I was hoping for our first teaser trailer. I guess we are now looking at August as the most likely date for that and no full trailer until October or November.

  23. Clob,

    I read the ratings for season 7 were good, though there was criticism of parts of the plot. The season finale drew the highest rating for the entire series and came in a little over 12 million. Which makes sense as more and more people become fans. I “converted” no fewer than three people this past year with many of them becoming near rabid enthusiasts of the series.

  24. Maybe this opens the door up for GRRM to attend SDCC solo. Hey – anything to avoid finishing Winds of Winter…

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