ABC is bringing a new superhero series to the small screen (and the biggest possible screen) this fall with Marvel's Inhumans. After the show's IMAX debut on September 1st, it will move to the broadcast TV network for its full eight-episode run in order to unveil the story of the royal family comprised of hybrid alien-human super-beings who have gone through a “terrigenesis” transformation, a process that unlocks sometimes strange, but uniquely powerful gifts. The first image of the cast was unveiled earlier today.

Anson Mount stars as the lead, Black Bolt, who will use sign language to communicate since his voice is incredibly destructive, with Serinda Swan as his wife and advisor Medusa, Iwan Rheon as Black Bolt’s ambitious brother Maximus, Ken Leung as Black Bolt’s cousin and advisor Karnak, opposite Eme Ikwuakor as another cousin Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Medusa’s sister Crystal, with her 2,000 pound canine companion Lockjaw, of course, and Mike Moh as cousin Triton. Outside the family, there’s also Sonya Balmores as Auran, head of the royal guards, and Ellen Woglom described only as a “smart, intense, and focused [character]—so focused that oftentimes, social skills take a back seat. Her job at a private aerospace company is her life, second only to her passion for all things space and lunar. She’s primed to be swept up in an adventure.” You can stop trying to find her comic book counterpart since she's a new character created for the show.

Marvel’s Inhumans will premiere in IMAX cinemas starting on September 1st, followed by the full 8 episode series on ABC this fall.

Check out the new image of the Inhumans cast below (via EW):

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Image via Marvel, ABC

(From Left to Right) Eme Ikwuakor (Gorgon), Ken Leung (Karnak), Anson Mount (Black Bolt), Serinda Swan (Medusa), Isabelle Cornish (Crystal), Iwan Rheon (Maximus)

Compared here with the comics version:

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Buck spoke with EW, who debuted the above image, about the comics adaptation. Be sure to head over there for the full Q&A, but we've pulled a few choice quotes below.

Expect a character-focused drama:

Jeph Loeb called me and pitched the idea of the Inhumans, the idea of doing a show basically about this family. We discussed each one of the characters, who they are, their personalities, their journeys. I always approach these things through the characters — what’s the story we can tell about Black Bolt, about Medusa and each one of these members of the Royal Family? It may have been daunting, but I think I was, more than anything, just excited about jumping in.

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Image via Marvel

And while the treatment of the characters will be grounded in reality--or at least as grounded as super-powered folks can be--you can expect some fantastical elements. Buck was mum on plot specifics, but said:

[W]e’re telling a story about a family at a very critical juncture in their lives. When we meet up with them, we’re going to find that pretty much everything they’ve ever known is at risk.

And we'll visit that family both on Earth and on Attilan, a mobile and highly technologically advanced city that is the ancestral home of the Inhumans. It's been located in the Northern Atlantic Ocean, the Himalayas, and the Moon; Buck revealed that Attilan is not on Earth in this story.

Buck also confirmed that Inhumans exists alongside Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so events of each show could affect the other. Don't expect any crossovers just yet though.

Here's a brief summation of how Buck described the show's characters, the actors who play them, and their particular quirks:

  • "Black Bolt does not speak, but yet he is our hero and he is the center of the show, so it does certainly present challenges in how you tell his story, but fortunately we came up with a really good story. Anson is terrific. I think everyone’s going to be very pleased and excited by his Black Bolt."
  • On Maximus: "We didn’t want to create just a simple villain who’s evil for the sake of being evil. He’s a very real, three-dimensional character. Iwan is more than capable."
  • On Medusa's hair: "It takes quite a long time in post to make that effect work. We have some of the best visual effects people available working on our show. We still haven’t seen the final version of it; it’s very much a work in process."
  • And, of course, Lockjaw: "Lockjaw is probably going to end up being the audience’s favorite character. We certainly enjoy working with him. He’s fun to write, he’s fun to shoot. There’s not too much more detail than that that I can give, but he is going to be a standout on the show."

Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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