The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November 2023 into January 2024 (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes HERE), and the premiere of season 2 is set for February 27th. A couple of months ago, it was announced that Apple had also ordered a prequel series starring Wyatt Russell, reprising his role as Colonel Lee Shaw, the younger version of the character played by his real-life father, Kurt Russell. And in a new interview, that prequel series has been described as a punk rock Cold War spy thriller!
Monarch Info
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the latest chapter in Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse series, which currently consists of Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and the Netflix animated series Skull Island.
The ten episode first season was set after “the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real” (as seen in Godzilla 2014). It 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, 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. The cast includes Anna Sawai, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski. Season 2 brings the addition of Prey star Amber Midthunder.
Season 2 will also consist of ten episodes. It will pick up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a Titan event on the horizon.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters comes our way from Legendary Television. Matt Shakman (WandaVision) directed the first two episodes. Black, Fraction, and Shakman executive produce the series with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, as well as Andy Goddard, Brad Van Arragon, and Andrew Colville. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character.
Prequel Series
Joby Harold is the showrunner of the prequel series and also secured an overall deal with Legendary that will see him oversee the entire Monsterverse franchise for Apple, which will feature “both new and fan-favorite Titans.“ The series will follow the story of Colonel Lee Shaw, an American operative who in 1984 went on a secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War.
When the subject of the prequel series came up during an interview with Collider, Wyatt Russell said, “You’ve got absolutely no f*cking clue what to expect. I think people are going to expect one thing and be like, ‘Holy shit, this is not what I expected.’ It’ll go deeper into Lee’s experience after he came up, and being sort of put on ice, in 1982, and then what happens after that, and why he’s needed and the mission he goes on.“
Executive producer Tory Tunnell added, “I think what’s going to be really fun for audiences is that, again, we’re really working within the ethos of you don’t need to have seen the movies, don’t even need to have seen Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, to enjoy the new show. It’s going to be something that is going to be tonally a departure from what we’re doing. It’s going to be a little bit more voicy, a little bit more punk rock. It’s a Cold War spy thriller that has a card flip aspect to it. One of the things, as we continue to build out this world, is we want everything to have its own space, its own lane, so we’re not repeating ourselves.“
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