Looks like UAE fans of the Red Witch will have to wait awhile to catch their favourite actress in person.
We can confirm that Carice van Houten, who played Melisandre on ‘Game of Thrones’, has pulled out of the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC), which kicked off on March 5 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The actress appeared in a video posted by MEFCC on their social media accounts, where she apologised in a 15-second video for not attending the three-day event, without giving any specific reason.
“Hello everyone, I am very sorry I can’t make it to Dubai, to the Middle East comic con,” the actress is seen saying. “I really hope I can make it up to you sometime, soon. Bye.”
In an accompanying post, MEFCC has assured fans that all the other celebrity guests have reached Dubai for the three-day event that ends on March 7.
Celebrities slated to attend include Mena Massoud (‘Aladdin’), Elodie Yung (‘Daredevil’, ‘The Defenders’), Brandon Routh (‘Superman Returns’), John Rhys-Davies (‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy), Kevin Sussman (‘The Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Ugly Betty’) and Joseph David-Jones (‘Arrow’).
Days ahead of the annual event, organisers assured all safety measures were being implemented in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement to Gulf News earlier, organisers have confirmed that safety advice recommended by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), as well as the World Health Organisation, is being implemented at the event.
“We are staying up to date and following all safety advice recommended by UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), as well as the World Health Organisation. Based on these official sources of update and guidance, it is business as usual for us and we look forward to welcoming all our visitors this weekend,” the statement read.
Single day passes to MEFCC start at Dh115.
