With the release of the first four photos, we’ve learned a lot more about Apple TV+’s first series based on Legendary’s Monsterverse. The series now has an official title: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Apple TV+ also revealed father and son Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell will play the same character in different eras in the 10-episode series.
And the photos also confirm that Godzilla will be part of the series.
In addition to the Russells, Monarch stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski. The sci-fi drama was developed by Chris Black (Severance, Star Trek: Enterprise, Outcast) and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye). The first two episodes were directed by Matt Shakman (Wandavision).
Chris Black, Matt Fraction, Matt Shakman, Andy Goddard (Carnival Row), Brad Van Arragon (Yellowjackets), Andrew Colville (Severance), and Safehouse Pictures’ Joby Harold (Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Tory Tunnell (Spinning Out) executive produce.
Toho Co., Ltd’s Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita also serve as executive producers. Toho Co., Ltd. owns the Godzilla character.
The live-action series doesn’t have a premiere date, with Apple TV+ teasing that it will arrive soon.
Apple TV+ released this description of the much-anticipated series:
“Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows.
The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.
Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse is an epic entertainment universe of interconnected stories that bring together popular culture’s most titanic forces of nature. Witness humanity’s greatest battle for survival as we fight for our world in the face of a catastrophic new reality—the monsters of our myths and legends are real.”
The series is set after the events of Legendary Entertainment’s 2014 Godzilla. The Monsterverse includes 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. It continues with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is targeting a 2024 theatrical release.
