Last year, Apple announced that it was working with Legendary on a streaming series that would be part of the company’s Monsterverse, i.e., the revival of King Kong and Godzilla in a live-action universe. And while we still don’t have a trailer or premiere date, we at least now have a first look and some details on the kaiju show.
Apple shows off a first look at its Godzilla series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
The upcoming Apple TV Plus show is part of Legendary’s Monsterverse.
The upcoming Apple TV Plus show is part of Legendary’s Monsterverse.
Image: Apple
is an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories.
It’s called Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and the 10-episode series appears to take place after the 2014 Godzilla film left San Francisco in a disastrous state as well as in the 1950s following the early days of the mysterious Monarch group. In a fun twist, the show will feature a military officer named Lee Shaw across both time periods, and Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell will play Shaw at different ages. Here’s the full setup:
Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters 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 (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), 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 show is being co-developed by Severance producer Chris Black and Matt Fraction of Hawkeye fame. The rest of the cast includes Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski. Here are a few shots of them in action:
1/3The show is set across three generations and will feature Kurt and Wyatt Russell playing the same character. Image: Apple
Again, Apple doesn’t say when the show will be streaming, but with a name and images now out, it seems likely that a trailer and release date won’t be too far behind. Legacy of Monsters is part of a plan to expand the Monsterverse beyond theaters, which most recently included the animated Skull Island series on Netflix.
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