For almost a decade, Godzilla, King Kong and others have been rocking the big screen with MonsterVerse. In 2023, the science fiction franchise has prepared to conquer a new territory: streaming platforms. The monster cinematic universe, which grossed nearly two billion dollars, arrived on Apple TV+ with a series that, although little noticed, was one of the most important of the year.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was launched in November 2023 and its first season has all the necessary elements to compete with huge productions like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power et House of the Dragon.
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This project is the first live-action series in the MonsterVerse and continues the story of five adventure, fantasy and science fiction films. These make up the cinematic universe that began in 2014 with Godzilla and continued with Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla II – King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs Kong (2021) et Godzilla x Kong: The New Kingdom (2024).
A story in two eras
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters focuses on the mysterious organization of its title: Monarch. This organization has already appeared in several MonsterVerse films. The story of the series takes place in two different eras. On the one hand, there is the 1950s plot, which shows the first encounter with Godzilla. On the other, the one that takes place in the present, when humanity felt the total destruction caused by Godzilla during the attack on San Francisco.
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The series boasts a 5-star cast and the characters are almost all new additions to the franchise. Only Bill Randa, the founder of Monarch played by John Goodman, returns. However, the most important character is Private Lee Shaw, who appears in both timelines of the series. In the past, he is played by Wyatt Russell, and in the present, by Kurt Russell – who are father and son in real life.
Other key characters from the 1950s include: the younger version of Randa (Anders Holm) and the third founder of Monarch: Keiko (Mari Yamamoto). In the present, the protagonists are Cate (Anna Sawai) and Kentaro (Ren Watabe), two siblings searching for their missing father.
A new season in sight
The first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters consists of 10 episodes, all available on Apple TV+.
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The story is not over, because last April, as announced by Variety, the fiction was renewed for a second season and we learned that the platform was also working on several spin-offs.
Article written in collaboration with our colleagues from I love cinema.
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