The initial trailer for Marvel’s ‘Inhumans,’ when first released, left fans feeling largely underwhelmed, with complaints focusing on the lack of visual flair and a seemingly missing attention to detail in the characterization of the various team members. The first two episodes of the series were specifically designed to premiere in IMAX theaters before the show moves to televised viewing on ABC, and according to series creators, the trailers we’ve seen so far are not the “finished product,” so fans may wish to reserve judgment about the series until they get to see one or more episodes live.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe in film form has seen many more hits than misses, and the same can be said of Marvel’s televised fare so far as well, although the small-screen offerings have usually not been as lauded as the big-screen fare. ‘Inhumans’ will join Marvel’s ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ airing on ABC, as opposed to the comic company’s streaming-only fare on Netflix.
Make no mistake, however: ‘Inhumans’ was brought to screen incredibly fast for a Marvel product. Roel Reiné, the director of the two-part premiere, mentioned in a recent interview that he felt he was specifically hired by Marvel because of his work on other fast-turnaround projects, including his directing of ‘The Scorpion King 3′ and Death Race 2,’ among others:
“I think they liked me for the job because I was able with my action movies to shoot in a very short time, or with very low budgets, action that looks like a big-budget movie. It was not a feature film, it was a TV episode, but they still wanted to have the scope. Time was also a critical factor. The schedule was super-tight. I had TV schedule time to shoot it with IMAX cameras, 20 days to shoot two episodes. It’s nerve-wracking, but I come from a low-budget film world, so 20 days for me is luxury.”
Reiné, for his part, enjoyed his time with the powers-that-be at Marvel:
“There was always a Marvel executive around me, just to make sure that whatever I did, or whatever we did together, would tie in with other characters in other universes, in other comics, in other series or movies. They’re very protective. These people are very passionate about their product and about characters and about doing the best version of everything. I heard all of these horror stories of working with Marvel, but I didn’t feel that way. It was very collaborative. Nine out of ten times they liked what I pitched – even radical things.”
Marvel’s ‘Inhumans’ will premiere on IMAX screens in theaters on September 1, 2017, before moving to ABC later in the month.
