The series premiere of the American television series Inhumans, consisting of the episodes "Behold... The Inhumans" and "Those Who Would Destroy Us", was first released as an IMAX film before being broadcast on ABC as two separate episodes. Based on the Marvel Comics race Inhumans, the premiere is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and acknowledges the franchise's other television series. The episodes were written by showrunner Scott Buck, directed by Roel Reiné, and star Anson Mount as Black Bolt alongside Serinda Swan, Ken Leung, Eme Ikwuakor, Isabelle Cornish, Ellen Woglom, and Iwan Rheon. In the premiere, Black Bolt and other members of the Inhuman Royal Family are exiled to Hawaii after a coup by Black Bolt's brother Maximus.
Inhumans was announced in November 2016 from ABC Studios and Marvel Television, with IMAX Entertainment as a financing partner. Reiné was hired in January 2017, with Mount cast the next month. Filming began in March 2017, at the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point airfield in Kalaeloa, Hawaii and various locations on the island of Oahu. The episodes were filmed on IMAX digital cameras, with new camera lenses created specifically for use on the series. The ABC version of the episodes features additional, exclusive content that was not included in the theatrical version of the premiere. Visual effects were provided by seven visual effects houses, which were designed to be shown on IMAX screens but created on a television budget and schedule.
The IMAX presentation of the episodes premiered in Los Angeles on August 28, 2017, and debuted in IMAX theaters on September 1, following months of poorly received marketing. Inhumans was the first live-action television series to debut in IMAX, and ran for two weeks, earning $3.5 million. "Behold... The Inhumans" and "Those Who Would Destroy Us" premiered on ABC on September 29, and were watched by 5.58 million viewers within a week of their release. Both versions of the premiere received negative reviews, with particular criticism going to the production value, which was compared to the rest of the MCU, as well as the acting and writing.
Plot "Behold... The Inhumans" On the island of Oahu, Triton is in search of a newly transformed Inhuman when they are attacked by a strike team. The team kills the new Inhuman and injures Triton, who jumps into the ocean to escape. In Attilan, the secret city of the Inhumans on the Moon, Black Bolt, Medusa and other members of the Inhuman Royal Family discuss an Earth rover that nearly discovers them. Black Bolt does not feel there is need for concern.
The Royal Family attend a Terrigenesis ceremony, where the young Inhuman citizens Iridia and Bronaja are exposed to Terrigen Mist to reveal their abilities. After the process, Iridia receives the ability of flight, while Bronaja does not believe he has received abilities. When Black Bolt's brother Maximus, who does not have abilities due to being made human through his own Terrigenesis, goes to console him and touches his shoulder, Bronaja has a vision of Maximus pinned against a wall with snakes attacking him. After the ceremony, Maximus learns of Triton's mission on Earth and confronts Black Bolt about the matter. Black Bolt explains that he sent Triton to Earth to help find humans who had undergone Terrigenesis due to Terrigen entering Earth's water supply. Triton was to bring them to Attilan to live free of prosecution.
Believing Triton may be dead, Gorgon travels to Earth to find him. Maximus questions Medusa's loyalty to Black Bolt, and she attacks Maximus with her prehensile hair, which Maximus realizes is the vision the Bronaja saw. Maximus talks to Kitang, the head of the Genetic Council, and reveals a plan to stage a coup to remove Black Bolt and Medusa from the throne. Kitang plans to have Maximus arrested, but is killed by Maximus' head of security Auran. On Earth, Gorgon is pursued by the same strike team, who receive a kill order from Maximus, but Gorgon defeats them. Karnak learns of what Maximus is doing and warns Medusa and her sister Crystal. Crystal has her dog Lockjaw send Karnak to safety on Earth, and does the same with Medusa and Black Bolt, but gets captured by Maximus's guards.
"Those Who Would Destroy Us" Realizing they have all been stranded and separated on Earth, Karnak and Medusa begin to search for Black Bolt, and Gorgon uses his communication device to contact Maximus, hoping it will be tracked so the fight will come to him. Louise, at the Callisto Aerospace Control Center in California, begins to investigate the missing rover and learns of four strange occurrences coming from the same area of the Moon where the rover went missing. She tracks these to locations around Hawaii and decides to investigate further.
Maximus threatens the remaining members of the Genetic Council into following him, and continues to use Bronaja's further visions. He tries to convince Crystal to join him. Black Bolt's arrival causes a traffic disturbance, and he fights through the police to escape. He subsequently shoplifts new clothes, and is arrested. Auran pursues Medusa to Earth, only for Medusa to stab Auran for her betrayal, killing her. Maximus addresses the people of Attilan as their new king. Auran is later revived by her own healing ability and requests back-up from Maximus.
Cast and characters
Main
Anson Mount as Black Bolt Serinda Swan as Medusa Ken Leung as Karnak Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon Isabelle Cornish as Crystal Ellen Woglom as Louise Iwan Rheon as Maximus
Guest Mike Moh as Triton Sonya Balmores as Auran Nicola Peltz Marco Rodriguez as Kitang Tom Wright as George Ashland Michael Buie as Agon Tanya Clarke as Rynda Ty Quiamboa as Holo
Crystal's teleporting canine companion Lockjaw also appears, created through CGI.
Production Development In November 2016, Marvel Television and IMAX Corporation announced the eight-episode television series Inhumans, to be produced in conjunction with ABC Studios and air on ABC, with the series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In December, Scott Buck, the showrunner for the first season of the Marvel Netflix series Iron Fist, was revealed to also be executive producing and showrunning Inhumans; Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory also executive produce the series. In January 2017, Roel Reiné was announced as the director of the first two episodes. Reiné felt he was chosen because he could make the episodes "look really big" on a small budget and short schedule.
IMAX serves as a financing partner on Inhumans, the first time it had done so for a television series, paying completely for the two episodes. Because of this, the budget for Inhumans was higher than Marvel's other series, a positive for the episodes' visual effects. IMAX had originally approached Marvel about the deal after a successful IMAX event with Game of Thrones in 2015. Buck felt working with IMAX "gave us a lot more freedom and pushed and encouraged us to think a little bit bigger than we would if it was just a normal network show. We just wanted to think bigger in terms of scope, and what we were seeing, and how we bring these characters to the audience." Loeb cautioned that Inhumans was "a television show that is premiering in an IMAX theater" rather than a true film, but that it would still be a spectacle, and "a unique way to be able to see TV".
Writing
Buck served as writer for both episodes, and said that they were intended to be "something that absolutely stands on its own", but hoped would "intrigue people enough to make them want to watch the rest of the show." The episodes begin "one big story leading us through the season" that focuses on the family drama of the Inhuman Royal Family, taking place at a "very critical juncture in their lives". It is an original story that Buck wrote after first researching the comics, going back to the characters' origin. Buck intended to ground the characters as real people who happen to have abilities, saying that he was more comfortable writing "slightly smaller character dramas", but did say that the IMAX presentation encouraged himself and the series' writers to think "a little bit bigger than we would if it was just a normal network show. We just wanted to think bigger in terms of scope, and what we were seeing, and how we bring these characters to the audience."
Casting In late February 2017, Iwan Rheon was cast as Maximus, followed shortly by Anson Mount as Black Bolt. There was no audition for the role of Black Bolt since the character does not speak, with Mount instead cast due to an existing relationship with Loeb, who felt Mount would fit the role. At the start of March, the series added Serinda Swan as Medusa, Ken Leung as Karnak, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, and Ellen Woglom as Louise.
Mike Moh and Sonya Balmores were also cast in March 2017, as the guest roles of Triton and Auran, respectively. They are joined in the episodes by Nicola Peltz, Marco Rodriguez as Kitang, Tom Wright as George Ashland, Michael Buie as Agon, Tanya Clarke as Rynda, and Ty Quiamboa as Holo. Additional guests include Ari Dalbert as Bronaja, Aaron Hendry as Loyolis, Stephanie Anne Lewis as Paripon, Andra Nechita as Iridia, Garret T. Sato as the lead mercenary, Allen Clifford Cole as an outspoken Inhuman, Lofton Shaw as young Black Bolt, V.I.P. as young Medusa, Jason Lee Hoy as Royal Guard Sergeant, Steve Trzaska as Duodon, Jenna Bleu Forti as the lovely Inhuman server, Jason Quinn as Pulsus, Kala Alexander as Makani, Albert Ueligitone as Pablo, Moses Goods as Eldrac, Dan Cooke as a cowboy, Nolan Hong as a tourist, Brutus LaBenz as a cabbie, Tani Fujimoto-Kim as a clerk, Rick Agan as a police officer, Lopaka Kapanui as a police lieutenant, and Miriam Lucien as a serene Inhuman.
Design The sets of the series were designed and built more vertically than usual to accommodate the IMAX release, with Carlos Barbosa serving as production designer. Crystal's bedroom was designed to be able to fit Lockjaw, her dog; because he can teleport, the set's door frames did not have to be sized to the character, but areas such as where he sleeps in her room did.
Filming
Filming for the two episodes began by March 5, 2017, in Downtown Honolulu, under the working title Project Next. Jeff Jur served as cinematographer on the episodes, and Jean Higgins as producer during filming. Studio work for the episodes took place in Kalaeloa, Hawaii at the former Naval Air Station Barbers Point airfield. Additional filming occurred at Diamond Head, and the Hawaii State Capitol building. Filming on both episodes lasted for 20 days.