While Marvel might deliver one hit after another on the big screen, when it comes to TV the results have been mixed, to put it generously. The various series have varied wildly in quality, and this year in particular has been a disappointment for fans, with “Iron Fist” missing the mark, and the upcoming “The Defenders” generating low heat. However, nothing compares to the arrows being fired at “Inhumans.”
The ABC series has dismayed fans with the first trailers, and an early review of the first episode (which will be shown in IMAX cinemas) tore the show to shreds, and went viral as a result. Now, with the debut just over a month away, you would think that everyone involved with “Inhumans” would start a carefully managed damage control campaign, but that’s not quite what’s playing out.
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In an interview with Metro, director Roel Reine admitted that even he wasn’t impressed with the first trailer for “Inhumans,” and wishes the network had waited before rolling it out.
“I was mixed about the first trailer as well. I felt like it didn’t give you the scope, it didn’t give you a lot of secrets or visual effects. I felt it was a little bit too early because the visual effects were not ready – Medusa’s hair was not ready. So I was really nervous about it and would think the fans would not really like it,” he admitted. “The trailer was made by other people, so I was really nervous about it when I saw it. So I was like, ‘Oh guys, maybe we should hold off’, but it was too late because it was already in the open.”
However, Reine says the second trailer got it right, so maybe this show is better than it looks.
The director’s optimism was countered by some serious defensiveness at the Television Critics Association press tour this weekend. The event, held a few times a year, is a chance for networks to roll out their new shows to press, in what is generally a well-orchestrated public relations move. No one involved with “Inhumans” got the memo, and things got a bit ugly.
Asked about the quality level of the show, executive producer Jeph Loeb bristled. “I can tell you that it was written on the material that you were given, that the show that you have seen is not the finished product,” he said. “If you’re asking me whether or not it was done, it’s not. So to be perfectly honest, I don’t understand your question.”
Another reporter questioned whether or not the first episode was suitable for IMAX, and Loeb responded, “I think you’re making an editorial statement, and I’m wondering what the question is.” Yikes.
Meanwhile, the cast also had to navigate some tricky waters, and it resulted in Anson Mount becoming the new Ben Affleck, and everyone seemingly unable to pivot around tough questions. Here are some choice tweets from the event:
RETRACTION: The "You're making me feel like Ben Affleck right now" quote from the #Inhumans TCA panel was from Anson Mount, NOT Scott Buck.
— KSiteTV (@KSiteTV) August 7, 2017
A smart, well-framed question from @Deggans gets pushed aside from Loeb with, basically, “We’re Marvel, we do what we do"
— Tim Goodman (@BastardMachine) August 6, 2017
https://twitter.com/ErikMAdams/status/894318363912019968
ABC is cutting this Inhumans panel off a few minutes early. #TCA17
— Jason Lynch 🇺🇦 (@jasonlynch) August 6, 2017
“Inhumans” launches on September 29th. [io9/Comic Book]
