Until 2023, the MonsterVerse was a film-only franchise, made up of Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong. Then in June, the animated tie-in series Skull Island was released to Netflix subscribers, but there’s an even bigger streaming series on the way to flesh out this shared universe. Apple TV+ has been working on a live-action MonsterVerse-set series that will see Kurt Russell facing down Godzilla, and along with this project now having a new title, some first looks have arrived that have me even more excited for it.
Until today, this live-action MonsterVerse series has been known as Godzilla and the Titans, but it’s been re-designated Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Taking place after Godzilla, which launched the MonsterVerse in 2014 and revealed the Titans’ existence to this fictional world’s population, this show follows two siblings who are following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to Monarch, the secretive organization that studies these towering monsters. But before we talk more about this show’s human characters, take a look at Godzilla himself doing one of the things he does best: scarily roaring.
While he’s no longer in the title, Godzilla looks like he’ll play a major role in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, though exactly how much screen time that translates to remains to be seen. Going back to the human characters, these siblings’ investigation into the world of monsters will lead them to an Army officer named Lee Shaw, who’s being played by Kurt Russell in the show’s present day era, and in the 1950s by the actor’s real life son, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Russell Wyatt. Let’s take a look at the elder Russell as Shaw first.
Though it’s unclear if Lee Shaw will ultimately be a protagonist or antagonist, apparently the knowledge he possesses threatens Monarch, so its members may use their resources to take him out of the picture. Now let’s see how Wyatt Russell looks as Shaw in his younger years.
Finally, we have Pachinko’s Anna Sawai, who is reportedly playing a character named Cate. We don’t know anything else about her involvement in this story that spans three generations, the below picture does confirm that she’s the one witnessing Godzilla’s glory on that rainy day by the school bus.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ cast also includes Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski. Behind the scenes, Severance’s Chris Black and Hawkeye comic book writer Matt Fraction co-developed the series, and WandaVision’s Matt Shakman directed the first two episodes of this 10-episode saga. At this stage, it’s unclear if Legacy of Monsters will be a one-and-done affair or if it could return for more seasons, but after seeing these images, I’m impressed at how this small screen project looks just as cinematic as the movies that anchor the MonsterVerse. If you’re at all interested in the time period between Godzilla battling the MUTOs and facing down King Ghidorah being explored, and you have an Apple TV+ subscription, then this show looks like a must-watch event.
Once Monarch: Legacy of Monsters does set a premiere date, be it on the 2023 TV schedule or sometime in 2024 (which seems more likely), we’ll let you know. Don’t forget that the MonsterVerse will also continue its theatrical run with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is slated on the 2024 movies calendar for a March 15 release.
