Overview
Little in cinema gets bigger than Godzilla, even if the iconic kaiju's size can change from movie to movie. Soon, little on streaming will be as giant as the famous creature, either, with new American series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on its way. Slotting into the Monsterverse — aka the US franchise that also includes 2014's Godzilla, 2019's Godzilla: King of the Monsters and 2021's Godzilla vs Kong, with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire joining in 2024 — Monarch: Legacy of Monsters arrives in November.
If you're a fictional movie or TV character facing a towering critter, any amount of Godzilla is usually too much Godzilla. If you're a creature-feature fan, however, there's no such thing as too much Godzilla. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters not only expands its own saga, but comes just as Japanese film Godzilla Minus One is about to hit as well, although the latter doesn't yet have a Down Under release date.
In Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which stampedes onto Apple TV+ from Friday, November 17, the Monsterverse is going the episodic route via a story set across generations and 50 years. It's also expanding its kaiju story with help from Kurt Russell (Fast and Furious 9) — and Wyatt Russell (Under the Banner of Heaven), too.
The IRL father-son pair play older and younger versions of the same figure, with army officer Lee Shaw drawn into the series by a couple of siblings attempting to keep up their dad's work after events between Godzilla and the Titans in San Francisco in the aforementioned 2014 film. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters also involves unpacking family links to clandestine outfit Monarch, events back in the 50s and how what Shaw knows threatens the organisation. So, there'll be monsters and rampages, and also secrets, lies, revelations and mysteries.
Giving audiences two Russells in one series is dream casting, as both the just-dropped first teaser in September and the newly released full trailer now shows. Also appearing on-screen: Anna Sawai (Pachinko), Kiersey Clemons (The Flash), Ren Watabe (461 Days of Bento), Mari Yamamoto (also Pachinko), Anders Holm (Inventing Anna), Joe Tippett (The Morning Show), Elisa Lasowski (Hill of Vision) and John Goodman (The Righteous Gemstones).
Behind the scenes, Chris Black (Severance) and Matt Fraction (Da Vinci's Demons) have co-developed Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, while Matt Shakman (The Consultant, Welcome to Chippendales) helms the opening pair of episodes — and all three are among the series' executive producers.
Check out the full trailer for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters below:
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters streams via Apple TV+ from Friday, November 17, 2023.