In a surprising move, Marvel Television released a press release today announcing plans for an Inhumans television show that will premiere on ABC in Fall of 2017. Marvel also announced a joint partnership with IMAX to premiere the first two episodes in IMAX theaters in September of 2017. According to them, “a version of the first two episodes will be shot entirely on IMAX for this exclusive theatrical release.”

In the press release, Marvel revealed that the new television series will center around Black Bolt and the Inhuman royal family. No further details regarding casting have been revealed at this time, nor has a showrunner been announced for the project. However, with a Fall 2017 premiere date announced, I’d expect Marvel to get the ball rolling fairly quickly – especially given how effects-heavy we can expect the series to be.

‘Marvel’s The Inhumans’ Coming to IMAX & ABC in 2017 Version of first 2 episodes of new ABC series to premiere exclusively in IMAX® theatres for two-week window! IMAX Corp. (NYSE: IMAX), Marvel Television, a unit of Marvel Entertainment, and Disney|ABC Television Group today announced an innovative agreement to exclusively premiere the new ABC series “Marvel’s The Inhumans” in IMAX commercial theatres, marking the first time a live-action television series has debuted in this manner. Under the agreement, a version of the first two episodes of Marvel Television’s new series “Marvel’s The Inhumans”–produced in conjunction with ABC Studios and filmed entirely with IMAX digital cameras–will run worldwide exclusively in IMAX for two weeks at the beginning of September 2017. ABC plans to then premiere the weekly series in fall, with additional exclusive content that can only be seen on the network. The Inhumans, a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. “Marvel’s The Inhumans” will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family. ABC, IMAX and Marvel Television also intend to work together to create a joint marketing and promotion plan for the series across their proprietary media platforms–which would be the first such cross-platform marketing launch of a television series. Today’s agreement also marks IMAX’s first time as a financing participant in a TV pilot and series.

An interesting tidbit that Marvel’s press release didn’t include was that the series will consist of eight episodes. While reporting on the announcement, the folks over at The Hollywood Reporter snuck in that little detail.

The comic book studio — which previously abandoned plans for an Inhumans feature film — is now set to team with ABC Studios for an eight-episode live-action drama series set to premiere in the fall of 2017.

This is a rather huge deal. If you’ll recall, Inhumans was originally scheduled for a feature film in phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before being pulled from the schedule earlier this year. While Kevin Feige teased the potential for an Inhumans film in Phase Four recently, the announcement that the Royal family is heading to the small screen would imply that is no longer a possibility. On the plus side, this news may indicate as well of a greater connection between the Marvel television shows. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in particular, focused on Inhumans for much of its third season run.

It is worth noting that the addition of a show like Inhumans could hint at the end of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC. The latter has never been able to regain its audience following the series premiere back in 2013, while it has remained steady (for the most part) on the network’s Tuesday night slot, it’s nowhere near what other shows are pulling in on the network. Add in talk of a possible Ghost Rider spin-off, it’s hard to imagine that the original series will survive cancellations in 2017.

For now, we can at least be excited that the royal family is finally headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe – even if it’s only on the small screen.

Sources: Marvel and THR.