Marvel dropped a major surprise earlier this month with the news that IMAX would be partnering with them to develop a television show for the very first time, and that the subject of that show would be none other than The Inhumans, more specifically the Royal Family.
Though no showrunner, producers, or stars have been announced for the project, the 8-episode series promising 'cinema-quality visual effects' will air on Septmber 26th, 2017, three weeks after the first two episodes are set to premiere on a surprisingly uncrowded Labor Day on September 4th, followed by a two week run in IMAX theaters, spanning 1000 theaters in 74 countries, including China, meaning the show will premiere in nearly every IMAX venue on the planet. On ABC, the episodes will air one at a time for eight straight weeks, without any hiatus or missed weeks.
This may cause some note that September 26th is a Tuesday, the day currrently held by Marvel's other ABC show, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, this does not necessarily mean it will take it's timeslot, as since IMAX and ABC seem intent on making Inhumans as successful as possible, it will very likely not debut at 10pm, possibly forming ABC's first ever Marvel Television bloc with the two shows.
Additionally, the CEO of IMAX, Richard Gelfond, indicated to the New York Times that Inhumans will be developed similar to another ABC series, Designated Survivor: ordered to series, but with a pilot still being produced for ABC's May upfronts, as well as saying IMAX will help finance the series in addition to the first two episodes.
“We think this is a business for us,” Mr. Gelfond said of the financing arrangement. “Because IMAX has an equity participation both in the pilot and in the series, this deal will be financially advantageous to Imax on an ongoing basis.”
If this is the case, like with Designated Survivor, news on showrunners and casting should begin surfacing as soon as the end of the year as production on the pilot begins to ramp up.
What do you guys think? Are you excited for Inhumans? What do you think of this starting date? Do you think you'll see the IMAX premiere or wait the three weeks for ABC to get it? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!