"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is bringing
big monsters to the small screen on Apple TV+. We've got everything you need to know
about its connection to the MonsterVerse, its creative father-son casting, and the "Godzilla"
movies you need to know about before you watch. "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" was ordered
to series back in January 2022. We finally got our first glimpse of the project in August
2023, with the release of several promo images. It took a while to get an actual release
date, but with the arrival of the trailer, fans finally learned when this series will
land on their screens: November 17, 2023. When "Monarch" is finally released, it will air
on Apple TV+. We also know the series will run for 10 episodes, which means we're bound to get
plenty of kaiju battles and city-wide destruction. "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" isn't exactly a
prequel or a sequel. It's more of a midquel, set after the events of the 2014 "Godzilla."
That blockbuster flick found Godzilla squaring off against some overgrown bugs called MUTOs,
Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms. According to the official plot
synopsis, the series will pick up in the devastating wake of Godzilla's
San Francisco battle against the MUTOs, and it will focus on siblings following in their
father's footsteps. They're looking to discover what their dad's connection is to the secret
organization known as Monarch. The series will be split into two timelines, with one set
in the 1950s and one set during the 2010s. One of the most intriguing things about "Monarch:
Legacy of Monsters" is its impressive line-up of on-screen talent. In a genius bit of
casting, both Kurt Russell and his son, Wyatt Russell, will be playing the
same character: Army officer Lee Shaw. Kurt Russell is one of the most famous movie
stars in Hollywood history, playing in major films such as "The Thing," "Tombstone," and
"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." Wyatt also has a pretty impressive resume, acting in projects
such as "Everybody Wants Some!!" and "Lodge 49." He's probably best known as the hot-headed
John Walker in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As for the rest of the cast, we'll see
Anna Sawai of "Pachinko" fame and Kiersey Clemons of "The Flash." They'll be joined
by Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Mari Yamamoto, and Hollywood newcomer
Ren Watabe. It also appears that John Goodman will be reprising the role of William
Randa, his character from "Kong: Skull Island." Just like the Monarch agency is controlled
by very powerful figures, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is overseen by some pretty
impressive creatives. The series was developed by the dynamic duo of Chris Black and Matt Fraction.
Black is no stranger to Apple TV+ productions, having served as an executive producer on
"Severance" and penning the eighth episode, "What's for Dinner?" He's additionally worked
on shows such as "Invincible" and "Outcast." Fraction, on the other hand, hails from the world
of comics. Along with David Aja, he created the comic book run that inspired the MCU series
"Hawkeye," and he's also worked on titles such as "Uncanny X-Men" and "The Invincible Iron Man."
Speaking of Marvel, we know that Matt Shakman of "WandaVision" and "Fantastic Four" fame will be
directing the first two episodes of the series. Before Godzilla starts breathing
radioactive flame all over Apple TV+, you might want to go back and check out
the previous entries in the MonsterVerse, especially if you want to
learn more about Monarch. It all starts with 2014's "Godzilla," which gave us one of the most memorable
movie quotes of all time: "Let them fight." The next entry in the series introduced us to the
other major player in the MonsterVerse series: King Kong. Taking a page from "Apocalypse
Now," "Kong: Skull Island" is a '70s-set, Vietnam War-inspired monster tale that
stars huge names like Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Samuel L. Jackson. Plus, it
just might be the best film in the franchise. While it's the most critically
despised of the bunch, "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" delivers on the kaiju
action. In fact, it brings in three of the biggest A-listers from Toho's impressive creature
lineup: Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. Then there's the clash of the Titans.
In "Godzilla vs. Kong," in one corner, you have King Kong, and he is
mad. And then in the other corner, you have Godzilla, and he's mad.
What more do we need to say? The theme of giant monsters destroying their way
through infrastructure and trampling innocent people in their wake must be a difficult
genre to rate. The original "Godzilla" film released in 1954 is widely considered
a horror movie. However, the modern-era MonsterVerse projects — such as the most recent
"Godzilla vs. Kong" — are better classified as action sci-fi projects, with a fitting PG-13
rating. So, what kind of family-friendliness can we expect from the MonsterVerse's
first live-action television series? Apple TV+ has given "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters"
the rating of TV-Y. The grading indicates that the series is appropriate for all ages. "Monarch"
will be a binge-worthy adventure fit for family night. And for some children who have always been
curious about a giant lizard stomping their way through a city, the Apple TV+ show can be their
first glimpse at the original kaiju, Godzilla. Breaking ground, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is
rumored to have been filmed with Apple's latest high-tech gadgets. Turns out, being funded by one
of the biggest tech producers in the world may come with a few benefits for the series. In the
summer of 2023, Apple introduced its new headset, the Apple Vision Pro, featuring augmented
reality and a slew of cameras, sensors, and unprecedented computing gimmicks. One of
Vision Pro's most heavily promoted features was Spatial Video, which allows the
user to immerse themselves in imagery and have the perspective change as
they move, similar to a hologram. Shortly after the technology was announced,
an Apple insider indicated on X that "Monarch: The Legacy of Monsters" had
been filmed with the Spatial Video format. But as the release date
of the new Apple TV+ series approaches, the company has yet to officially confirm that
it will be viewable through the Vision Pro. Gone are the days when movies featuring
giant monsters were limited to attacking a city or two and returning to their
respective homes. Films have gotten much bigger throughout the years. These
projects appropriately showcase how a kaiju monster would have the entire world
turning its heads. The MonsterVerse was one of the first American projects featuring
Godzilla in which the beast doesn't limit his destruction to metropolises like Tokyo or
New York City. Rather, the lizard, King Kong, and their MUTO brethren pop up across the
globe throughout the four feature films. It can be expected with global-scale terror
and generation-jumping timelines that "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" will feature
multiple international settings. Aside from a few terrains
showcased in the trailer, the filming locations of the series give us
some clues as to what and where to anticipate. "Every time you go to locations in the
show, it's a completely different world." Primarily, "Monarch" was filmed in Vancouver,
British Columbia, and throughout the province of British Columbia. One Van City local on X shared
behind-the-scenes shots of the city being turned into a makeshift army camp. Meanwhile, the cast
confirmed that they traveled over the Pacific, and filmed on location in Tokyo, Japan.
Additionally, showrunner Chris Black revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, that
some scenes were captured on location in Hawai'i. It is easy to get caught up in the thrill of
seeing heavyweight monsters on television, but the series is not named after the biggest
baddie of them all — Godzilla — for a reason. The show is predominantly about the secret
international organization known as Monarch. Agents of the "Men in Black"-inspired group pop
up around the cinematic universe initially intent on keeping MUTOs a secret and protecting the
innocent world from MUTO-related destruction. If you watched the four previous MonsterVerse
films and don't recall much about Monarch's involvement, they are probably doing
their jobs extremely well. Hopefully, a quick reminder of the organization's
history will catch you up to speed. Introduced in 2014's "Godzilla," Monarch's
origins stretch back to when Big Green was first discovered in 1943. The organization
spent the following decades attempting to find Godzilla before it helped them
defeat a new MUTO in 2014. In "Kong: Skull Island," Monarch assisted in discovering
the titular lost island, essentially uncovering a world of monsters. By 2019's "Godzilla: King
of the Monsters," the organization became public knowledge and shifted its motives towards the
preservation of the endangered monsters. Most recently, in "Godzilla vs. Kong," Monarch was
at the center of the battle after moving the giant ape from his unstable island home,
causing Godzilla to behave aggressively. A social media account on X, @MonarchSciences, has long been a source of MonsterVerse content.
Mysteriously, in October 2023, the account came out of dormancy after three-plus years with
some curious messages. One of these read: "This account no longer belongs to Monarch."
And the tagline for the account was changed to the curiously mysterious: "It belongs to
the truth. Soon, the rest will surface." Additionally, an equally enigmatic website
has emerged ahead of the release of "Legacy of Monsters." Monarch Unlocked features some "top
secret" content linked to the Apple TV+ series, including multiple puzzling images of
Monarch files and projects. The most intriguing document found on the site is a short
video of John Goodman's character William Randa, who first appeared in "Kong: Skull Island"
and is set to reprise his role in "Legacy." Godzilla has a devoted fan base. While not in the
same stratosphere as other fandoms like Marvel or Star Wars, the following for the big lizard can
be extremely particular. With a rich history of content dating back nearly 80 years, there have
been a plethora of unique designs of Godzilla. Nearly every iteration of the titan has come
with subtle changes to the way the lizard looks. "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" will
utilize the "GareGoji" design for its monster originally introduced
in 2014's "Godzilla." The Hollywood version of Godzilla takes many
of its features from dinosaurs, giving the titan a relatively realistic presence.
Interestingly, there is a significant process behind getting Godzilla to look right on
screen. Gareth Edwards said at SXSW in 2014, "I thought it was going to be an easy job, but they did over 100 designs. We kept trying
generation after generation until we landed where we did. You're trying to put out wacky
thoughts and ideas and even if you throw out just 1% of a new direction that steers
the design in a new way, it helps out." If Godzilla isn't enough to get you
breathing fire in excitement for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," there have been hints as
to other kaiju that make an appearance in the series. Legendary's MonsterVerse has been
known to revitalize classic Toho monsters, bringing beasts like Mothra, Rodan, and
MechaGodzilla to the big screen. Still, there is a whole collection of Titans yet to
make an appearance in the cinematic universe. "It's so much more vast than
we could possibly imagine." "Monarch" director Matt Shakman has already
revealed that many MUTOs will appear in the show beyond the king lizard. Meanwhile, the trailer and
promotion for the series have revealed a few of the beasts to expect. The Apple TV+ social media
account revealed one unidentified flying monster. Additionally, Matt Fraction and Chris Black spoke
to Entertainment Weekly about a few other monsters crashing into the first episode. This includes a
nightmare-inducing giant spider known as Mother Longlegs and a creature described as "a giant
titan version of a crab" called Mantleclaw. Finally, they had one more trick up their sleeves
with all-new insect-like MUTOs. Fraction said, "It was fun to remind the audience
that not all Titans are 400 feet tall. There's danger everywhere
of all kinds of scale and size." With the release of "Monarch: Legacy of
Monsters" fast approaching, the review embargo has been lifted, resulting in a swarm
of third-party opinions on the series. Already, "Monarch" sits at an 89% Rotten Tomatoes
critic score. The general consensus is shaping up to indicate that the Apple TV+
show should be worth the price of admission. However, most of the reviews available online come with a caution sticker for potential
viewers. A critic on SlashFilm wrote, "'Legacy of Monsters' is light on the
monsters and heavier on the legacy stuff." Those anticipating lots of Titans smashing
through buildings and roadways should quell their expectations now. Instead, the series
predominantly features the secret government organization and the humans trapped
in a world of titanic beasts. Still, with a good mix of pacing, time-jumping,
and the odd appearance of the biggest, greenest lizard in pop culture, audiences
are certain to get some entertainment. With "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" still
awaiting official release, it is premature to expect a second season. However, there are
some indications that audiences can expect more from the series beyond the 10 episodes of Season
1. With the MonsterVerse continuing its expansion with another upcoming feature film, "Legacy"
could stick around to help continue the universe. Notably, during an interview with Collider,
director Matt Shakman revealed that there may be more to the "Legacy of Monsters" than we
will see in the inaugural season. He said, "It's when you pitch a show from the beginning.
You pitch, 'What's the story of the first episode? What's the story of the first season? And what's
the story for the next five years?' That's pretty much expected when you go to pitch a company like
Apple. Of course, things change, right? You have all these plans, and then you realize that this
is a more interesting avenue, and things evolve." Like a slow and steady gigantic
lizard emerging from the ocean, the MonsterVerse continues to stomp ahead
since its 2014 inception. "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" set for a 2024 premiere, will be
the next official feature film from the franchise and will conceptually work as a sequel to
2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong." Subsequently, other projects have been rumored to be shopped
around behind closed doors at Legendary, including a potential "Son of Kong" film.
Still, with fans fully behind the franchise building further, it likely won't be long
before the Titans are unleashed beyond 2024.
