With the MonsterVerse having officially made its television debut in the form of Skull Island, it was high time that that same jump was made with live-action thrown into the mix. Enter Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the incoming Apple TV Plus series that looks to be about as off-the-beaten-path as one could expect from such a franchise.
A sequel series to 2014’s Godzilla, Legacy of Monsters follows the exploits of siblings Cate and Kentaro, who stumble upon a family secret that links their bloodline to Monarch, an underground organization that studies monsters, and eventually leads them to one Lee Shaw, a former Army officer whose knowledge poses a fatal threat to Monarch. The series will follow the story of the siblings and that of Shaw, from his first encounter with monsters in the 1950s to the present day.
Indeed, it’s unwise to underestimate the importance of human stories in these spectacular, giant-monster-centric franchises, and Legacy of Monsters looks to be plenty aware of that; time will tell how well it sticks this particular landing, but things are certainly looking promising for the MonsterVerse’s latest foray.
When does Monarch: Legacy of Monsters release?
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will premiere on Apple TV Plus on Nov. 17, and will consist of 10 episodes.
Matt Shakman (WandaVision, Marvel Studios’ upcoming Fantastic Four film) will direct the first two episodes, both of which will premiere on the 17th, after which subsequent episodes will release every Friday until the series finale on Jan. 12, 2024. At the time of writing, a second season has not been confirmed.
Who stars in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?
Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Thunderbolts) lead the charge as present-day and young Lee Shaw, respectively, while Anna Sawai (F9) and Ren Watanabe portray Cate and Kentaro. Kiersey Clemons, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski also star.
John Goodman also returns as Bill Randa, who he last portrayed in Kong: Skull Island.
How much did Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cost to make?
There seems to be no clear information on how much money went into making Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but judging by the trailer, it doesn’t look like it’s going to skimp on bringing the franchise’s many monsters to life via CGI. In other words, it was probably pretty expensive as far as television shows go; think in the ballpark of Secret Invasion, which is hopefully the only similarity these two shows will share.
