George R.R. Martin skips ‘House of the Dragon’ due to COVID

The father of dragons himself, George R.R. Martin, was forced to miss his own premiere after testing positive for COVID-19.

Martin, 73, was supposed to attend the “House of the Dragon” premiere on Wednesday in Los Angeles but had to back out

The fantasy author co-created and executive produced the “Game of Thrones” spinoff “House of the Dragon,” and is the mind behind the iconic HBO franchise.

HBO and HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys relayed a message from Martin to viewers and his fans at the red carpet showing yesterday.

It is possible Martin caught the coronavirus from the San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, USA Today reported.

“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,” Bloys said to the audience at the premiere. “Unfortunately, George got COVID at Comic-Con, so he’s not here. I think he’s feeling fine, so nothing to worry about.”

“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,” Bloys said. “He has been fantastic.”

The New Jersey native also revealed the “unfortunate announcement” in a tweet titled “Travel Updates.”

Martin explained he was quarantined in a Los Angeles hotel after three positive tests.

He added that he had just a few mild symptoms “sniffles, and I cough once in a while.”

“I’m being well taken care of and I’m taking the drugs, and I should go good,” he went on. “My thanks to any of you worrying about me. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“House of the Dragon” is based on Martin’s book “Fire & Blood,” and is a prequel set 200 years before “Game of Thrones.” It tells the tale of House Targaryen and its downfall.

The series is out on HBO Max on August 21 and stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans.

During the July 23 panel at the comic convention, Martin spoke about the series, noting: “There is certainly evil. The most interesting characters are gray characters. … All of these characters have good in them and evil in them, and it’s about the choices they make.”