The King of the Monsters is headed to streaming.
Apple TV+ and Legendary revealed Thursday that the first-ever live action Godzilla series will be called “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” A launch date has yet to be revealed.
According to the official synopsis, the new show centers on “two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch.”
Monarch, if you aren’t familiar, is the S.H.I.E.L.D.-style organization tasked with keeping track of Godzilla and the other Titans. The organization was first introduced in 2014’s “Godzilla,” which was the start of Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse. (The synopsis states that it will take place after the events of “Godzilla.”)
In the series, the siblings are eventually led to Army officer Lee Shaw, played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell at different ages. “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” will take place “in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows.”
The series also stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski. It was codeveloped by Chris Black (“Severance,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and Matt Fraction, who created the comic Marvel Studios’ “Hawkeye” was largely based on. Matt Shakman, who directed all of “Wandavision,” directed the first two episodes of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” Godzilla will very much be a part of the show, as the first look image (above) revealed.
The show is a continuation of the Monsterverse, which since 2014 has included “Kong: Skull Island,” “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the upcoming “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
This is the first live action series featuring Godzilla. There was an animated series in 1978 produced by animation studio Hanna-Barbera called “Godzilla” that only lasted for 26 episodes. Another animated series, “Godzilla: The Series,” premiered in 1998 and, like the ‘70s show, ran for only two seasons. That show was a spin-off of sorts of the live action American “Godzilla” from 1998.
