A number of key names involved in the production of Game of Thrones declined to appear at a San Diego Comic-Con panel dedicated to the show, as previously indicated. The panel took place on July 19, and had a total of five fewer people than expected--most notably including the two showrunners, David Benioff and Dan Weiss.

Among the others who pulled out were director Miguel Sapochnik and actors Ian Glen, who played Jorah Mormont, and Nathalie Emmanuel, who portrayed Missandei.

These five were originally announced to appear as part of the panel, which is being held in Hall H, SDCC's biggest venue for panels. The panel is described as a "triumphant celebration" of the show, which remains one of HBO's most successful productions, despite having an ending that has been heavily panned. (Despite that, George RR Martin says he won't change the books in response.)

Remaining panel members included Maisie Williams (Arya Stark), Raleigh Ritchie (Greyworm), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Isaac Wright (Bran Stark), John Bradley West (Samwell Tarly), Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), and Conleth Hill (Varys).

As is custom for Comic-Con panels, there was a Q&A period where fans in the audience could put their questions to those involved in the show's creation. This, particularly for Benioff and Weiss, would no doubt have been interesting considering that negative response from very passionate, vocal fans of the long-running series.

Despite the tepid response to the show's finale, Game of Thrones' final season is being recognized by the Emmy Awards, where HBO shows has set a record with a total of 32 nominations. The categories it is nominated in include Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Actress in a Drama for Emilia Clarke, and Outstanding Actor in a Drama for Kit Harrington.

Looking further ahead for the Game of Thrones universe, HBO is working on a prequel series, which stars Naomi Watts in the lead role and has reportedly started filming in Northern Ireland. A name for the series hasn't officially been announced, but A Song of Ice and Fire--which the Game of Thrones TV series is based on--creator George R. R. Martin is lobbying for The Long Night.