It was less than a week ago when ABC and Marvel announced that The Inhumans were coming to television, and in an innovative launch, the first two episodes are set to debut on IMAX screens across the country. Now, thanks to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, we are beginning to get more details about this unique venture. The first two of what will be an eight-episode series are confirmed to run for two weeks in over 1000 IMAX screens, in some 74 countries, starting on Labor Day 2017.
After this launch, extended versions of these episodes will begin airing as part of ABC’s fall lineup. This will be the first time any show has ever had a theatrical launch, much less one shot entirely on IMAX cameras. The IMAX company is paying for the first two episodes, as well as certain action sequences in later episodes. One of those actions sequences is described in the original article as “being on the Moon”, which means we are likely going to see the royal family of the Inhumans’ hidden home of Attilan. In the comics, Attilan was originally hidden away in the mountains, but then they decided to go even more remote, and moved to the moon. It seems confirmed now that the show is choosing moon over mountains.
Disney-ABC Television Group president Ben Sherwood said “we think this is a quadruple win — a win for IMAX, a win for Marvel, a win for ABC Studios, and a win for ABC to launch a show in an innovative way and get attention.” Despite what many fans originally thought, it seems that Inhumans will not be a spinoff of ABC’s Agents of SHIELD, despite the Inhuman presence on that show.
Nevertheless, ABC is hoping that Inhumans will have “a halo effect” on Agents of SHIELD as well, and the network is hoping that fans who go to to see Inhumans in theaters and follow the show to the network, bringing in new viewers who may not already be watching SHIELD. (although if the shows are not connected I’m not sure how this is supposed to affect Agents of SHIELD one way or the other).
One more interesting thing of note in the original article — it says that the new series is not a replacement for Marvel studios’ announced (but then delayed before disappearing ) Inhumans film. This I find a little bit hard to believe, unless somehow the show is a massive hit. (And I mean like Survivor big). Kevin Feige might say to the press that an Inhumans movie is still in the cards, but in my humble opinion, this show, along with its special theatrical debut, has likely killed that plan off. Sorry Vin Diesel, I know you were dying to play Black Bolt.
Inhumans has yet to begin casting, although the casting process is going to have to be starting soon, if the shoot is going to meet the show’s target Labor Day theatrical release date. Especially with such an elaborate shoot involving only IMAX cameras, I can’t imagine ABC is going to delay getting this one going knowing the importance of getting this one made as soon as possible. No showrunner has been announced for Inhumans yet either; but along with the cast, announcements should be imminent.
What are your hopes for the Inhumans TV series? Let us know what you want to see down below in the comments.
Images: Marvel Comics
