Superhero show Marvel’s Inhumans made history becoming the first television series to debut in Imax theatres before its broadcast premiere.
The first two episodes of ABC’s collaboration with the Disney-owned movie studio have been converted into a 75-minute feature that includes scenes shot on Imax cameras “that are simply extraordinary and should be seen on that screen,” according to executive producer Jeph Loeb.
The episodes will air on small screens on September 29 at their full length for a combined running time of 84 minutes.
Marvel’s Inhumans is based on the comic book series by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby about a royal family of super-powered aliens from the Moon who are exiled to Hawaii.
It stars Anson Mount (Straw Dogs, Seal Team Six) as Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding king of the species who has a voice so powerful that even the slightest whisper can level a city.
Loeb was speaking at last month’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, where studio executives were forced to defend themselves against criticism of the show’s look.
Based on an early version of the first episode made available to reviewers, journalists voiced concerns that it did not match Marvel’s usually high standards. Among the complaints was the observation that the abilities of Ken Leung’s character Karnak were not clear, and that the visuals did not merit an Imax release.
Based on characters from Marvel Comics, the series was filmed in Hawaii earlier this year and shares continuity with the movies and other television series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
More visually ostentatious than the grittier, more mature Marvel shows aired by Netflix — such as Luke Cage and Jessica Jones — Inhumans features a giant computer-generated dog that teleports its masters wherever they need to go.
