Home Entertainment Marvel announces INHUMANS TV series… which will debut on IMAX!

Marvel announces INHUMANS TV series… which will debut on IMAX!

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Remember when Marvel removed The Inhumans from their Phase 3 movie lineup? At the time, many fans feared that the political tension between Marvel’s movie and TV divisions would result in the classic comic book property never making it to the big screen. Yes, the Inhumans – an offshoot of humanity genetically engineered by the alien Kree to have enhanced abilities – feature heavily on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, but certain restrictions meant that the Inhuman “royal family” of Black Bolt, Medusa, Karnak, Trident, Gorgon, etc. – could not be used. So in other words, they were stuck in limbo with neither cinematic nor TV plans.

But that’s actually wrong on both counts now, as Marvel have announced that they are in fact developing a standalone The Inhumans TV series, and in a surprising twist have revealed that they are collaborating with IMAX to debut the new series on the premier cinema format. The first two episodes of the new series – which will be filmed entirely with the large format IMAX cameras – will debut worldwide in IMAX cinemas in early September 2017, with the series then joining Agents of SHIELD on the Disney-owned ABC thereafter.

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And in case you were worried about having no IMAX theatres nearby, ABC will not only air the premiere as well, but it will come “with additional exclusive content that can only be seen on the network”.
This is actually history in the making, as The Inhumans becomes the first TV series to ever premiere on IMAX in this way. With less than a year to go before that happens, I’m guessing that this has been in the pipeline for some time now already, with Marvel just keeping it quiet. They probably just retooled some of their movie ideas into this series, which would cut down a little bit on development time.

Obviously though it’s still too early for casting or story news, but this more than likely puts a big damper on the long running rumour that Marvel and Vin Diesel were talking about the actor portraying Black Bolt in the now scrapped movie (Hey, the role involves him not speaking and looking badass; it was perfect!). Diesel is probably far too high profile an actor to be hanging out on ABC every week. It will also be interesting to see whether Marvel now use Agents of SHIELD as a back-door pilot of sorts to set up this new series. That makes the most sense logistically and with regards to narrative, as so much of the backstory heavy lifting has already been done there, but unfortunately that show has sometimes been shortchanged when it came to interactions with the rest of the MCU.

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So what do you think of the news? Glad that the Inhumans are finally being adapted completely? Any casting picks you have in mind? Personally, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was already playing the new Director of SHIELD Jeffrey Mace on Agents of SHIELD, I would have thought that Jason O’Mara was perfect as Black Bolt. Fans have also been throwing around the name of  The Mentalist‘s Amanda Righetti when it comes to Medusa. Any other suggestions?

Here’s the full press release:

IMAX Corp. (NYSE: IMAX), Marvel Television, a unit of Marvel Entertainment, and Disney|ABC Television Group today announced an innovative agreement to exclusively premiere the new ABC series “Marvel’s The Inhumans” in IMAX commercial theatres, marking the first time a live-action television series has debuted in this manner.

Under the agreement, a version of the first two episodes of Marvel Television’s new series “Marvel’s The Inhumans”–produced in conjunction with ABC Studios and filmed entirely with IMAX digital cameras–will run worldwide exclusively in IMAX for two weeks at the beginning of September 2017. ABC plans to then premiere the weekly series in fall, with additional exclusive content that can only be seen on the network.

The Inhumans, a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. “Marvel’s The Inhumans” will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family.

ABC, IMAX and Marvel Television also intend to work together to create a joint marketing and promotion plan for the series across their proprietary media platforms–which would be the first such cross-platform marketing launch of a television series. Today’s agreement also marks IMAX’s first time as a financing participant in a TV pilot and series.

“This unprecedented alliance represents a bold, innovative approach to launching great TV content for a worldwide audience,” said Ben Sherwood, co-chairman, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney|ABC Television Group. “It highlights Disney|ABC’s unrelenting commitment to finding new and creative ways to showcasing our very best programming and increasing global engagement and reach.”

“This first-of-its-kind multi-platform production, distribution and marketing agreement brings together Marvel Television’s unique brand of entertainment, ABC’s unparalleled audience and IMAX’s brand and global fanboy demographic,” said IMAX CEO, Rich Gelfond. “It also takes our decades-long relationship with The Walt Disney Company to a whole new level, jointly breaking new ground in the industry. We are confident our exhibition partners will be excited to work with us on this innovative launch of a series across the IMAX network.”

“We’re happy to see this unique deal come together, working with our partners,” said Dan Buckley, President, Marvel Television, Publishing & Brand. “In an ever-changing world of distribution and consumption, it’s very exciting to be part of a groundbreaking initiative that takes us to the forefront of this evolution.”

This deal also provides audiences with high-quality, compelling entertainment options during what have traditionally been lulls in the summer blockbuster season. These IMAX audiences also tend to have high engagement and positive response to comic book fare.

Last Updated: November 15, 2016

2 Comments

  1. Wayne Bossenger

    November 16, 2016 at 00:19

    This is pretty amazing news! 😀

    Reply

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