Apple TV+ has announced that “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” the first live-action series to take place within Legendary Entertainment’s MonsterVerse, will return for a second season. The streaming service has also announced a new multi-series deal with Legendary, which encompasses the new “Monarch” season and development of multiple spin-off series based on the franchise.
“‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ has left an indelible imprint on the hearts, minds and imaginations of audiences around the world, led by the brilliance of Chris, Matt, Kurt, Wyatt and the incredibly gifted talented cast and creative team,” Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV+, said in a statement. “We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to not only have the chance to experience even more thrills in season two, but to embark on epic, new journeys in the franchise, as we expand Legendary’s Monsterverse.”
The first season of “Monarch” took place in the immediate aftermath of the first MonsterVerse movie, 2014’s “Godzilla.” It followed two step-siblings (Anna Sawai from “Shōgun” and newcomer Ren Watabe) as they go searching for answers following their father’s death. Eventually they are led to Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell), a longtime member of Monarch, the mysterious government agency tasked with keeping an eye on Titans like Godzilla. Together, they track Godzilla and discover more secrets about Monarch. The series was terrific, toggling back and forth in time (with Wyatt Russell playing the 1950’s version of Shaw) and wearving into the already-established MonsterVerse mythology.
What will be interesting is to see if they actually follow through where the series left off with – spoiler alert! – our characters encountering none other than Kong himself on Skull Island.
The upcoming season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is executive produced by showrunners and co-creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction, along with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, Matt Shakman, Andrew Colville and Jen Roskind. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character.
Currently, “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” is riding high at the box office, with more than $365 million worldwide. In the new movie, Godzilla and Kong are forced to team up against a new foe, the villainous Skar King, a dark ruler of Hollow Earth. The new film is exceptionally fun and a nice, frothy dessert after the more substantiative “Godzilla Minus One,” the Japanese Godzilla movie that was released this winter and picked up a surprise Oscar for its jaw-dropping visual effects.
The first season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is now streaming on Apple TV+.