Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is an upcoming American television series created by Chris Black and developed by Black and Matt Fraction for the streaming service Apple TV+, based on Godzilla by Toho Co., Ltd. Produced by Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures and Toho Co., Ltd, it is the sixth installment and the second television series in the MonsterVerse franchise. The series follows members of the organization Monarch as they encounter Godzilla and other monsters, known as "Titans", over the span of a half century, following the events of Godzilla (2014). Black serves as showrunner.
The series stars Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is scheduled to premiere on Apple TV+ on November 17, 2023.
Premise
Cast
Kurt Russell as Lee Shaw
Wyatt Russell as young Lee Shaw
Anna Sawai as Cate Randa:A former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor who travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret. Tired of running from her problems, she is determined to find answers. Kiersey Clemons as May:An American ex-pat with a roguish exterior that she uses to protect herself as well as others. Whether it be deciphering a code or finding the loophole, she is always three steps ahead of everyone around her. Ren Watabe as Kentaro:An intelligent, creative, and curious young man who has yet to find his own path. He will embark on a quest to learn more about his revered yet mysterious father and discover his own talents in the process. Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Anders Holm as Bill Randa: A researcher at Monarch. John Goodman as an older Randa, reprising his role from Kong: Skull Island (2017). Joe Tippett as Tim:An office drone who dreams of secret agent adventure. His overconfidence gets him in trouble in the field, but he is determined not to fail his organization. Elisa Lasowski as Duvall:An expert operative with unwavering confidence in herself and her skills. She also possesses a wry sense of humor, which she uses to guide her less field-oriented colleague. Christopher Heyerdahl
Episodes
Mairzee Almas, Andy Goddard, Julian Holmes, and Hiromi Kamata direct episodes.
Production
Development
Following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, discussions commenced on ways that the MonsterVerse could be expanded beyond feature films. Legendary proposed a live-action series, and amongst the potential investors, Apple TV+ expressed immediate interest and negotiated a deal and green-lit the series in January 2022. The project will be a joint-venture production between Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures and Toho. Chris Black will serve as showrunner, although Warner Bros. still owns the rights for the MonsterVerse franchise alongside Legendary.
In May, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the first two episodes in addition to executive producing. In addition to Black and Matt Fraction, writers for the series include Andrew Colville, Milla Bell-Hart, Amanda Overton, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Mariko Tamaki, and Al Letson.
Casting
In June 2022, Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski were cast in the series. In July, Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell were added to the cast, with Mari Yamamoto joining in August. In September, Anders Holm joined the cast while also revealing the show's title. In September 2023, with the release of the teaser trailer, John Goodman was revealed to be reprising his role from Kong: Skull Island (2017) as William "Bill" Randa.
Filming
In July 2022, it was revealed that principal photography had commenced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Two weeks of filming occurred in Japan in August. The series is shot with 3D cameras in Apple's Spatial Video Format for the Apple Vision Pro.
Music
In October 2023, Leopold Ross was confirmed to be composing the score for the series.
Release
Marketing
In August 2023, Apple released first look images of the series, now officially titled Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The teaser for the series was released on September 8, 2023, along with more images. The first trailer for the series debuted at the 2023 New York Comic Con, and the official poster was also revelead. In October 2023, a viral marketing website called "Monarch Unlocked" was created for the series that featured some Monarch computer private files.