MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS SEASON 1

 MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS RELEASE DATE, TRAILER, CAST & MORE: EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE GODZILLA UNIVERSE SERIES

In the fiction of the series, that question may yet be solved, but in our world, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was co-developed and executive produced by Chris Black and Matt Fraction. Black is a veteran of Apple’s Severance and shows like Mad Men and Lone Star while comic book fans will recognize Fraction from various titles and his legendary run writing Marvel’s Hawkeye with artists David Aja and Annie Wu. His TV credits are limited to scripting an episode of Da Vinci’s Demons and as a consulting producer on Disney+’s Hawkeye series.

In another Marvel connection, WandaVision director Matt Shakman directed the first two episodes and serves as an executive producer, as does Obi-Wan Kenobi writer Joby Harold, Tory Tunnell, Andy Goddard, Brad Van Arragon, and Andrew Colville. Additionally, Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita join as EPs on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd, the company that owns Godzilla and his library of characters.

Other directors on the series include Mairzee Almas, Andy Goddard, Julian Holmes, and Hiromi Kamata. The writing staff includes Black, Fraction, Milla Bell-Hart, Andrew Coville, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Al Leston, Amanda Overton, and Mariko Tamaki.

WHEN AND WHERE DOES MONARCH TAKE PLACE?

As Monarch is based in the US and the crux of their current problem is a US soldier, the bulk of the series will take place in the United States, so expect locales like the still-destroyed San Francisco, obscure army bases in the desert, and other familiar American spots. But as Monarch also has bases all over the globe, it is possible we will spend some time in places like Japan, The Philippines, and maybe even Skull Island.

But more interesting than the where of Monarch is the when of the series. Per AppleTV+’s press releases, the series is set in the wake of 2014’s Godzilla, just as the country comes to grips with the existence of giant monsters and it recovers from Godzilla and the Titan’s devastating fight in the City by the Bay.

Moving the clock back to a time period following the first Monsterverse film has some advantages. For one: Godzilla is out in the oceans, but is seemingly defending the planet per Serizawa’s prediction — although, the trailer still sees him dealing out plenty of damage. Meanwhile, the character drama can focus on its new characters without having to explain where Madison Russell (Brown), Dr. Mark Russell and other survivors of the films are — or, for that matter, how Monarch is handling damage control following the Titan rampage across Hong Kong in Godzilla vs. Kong.

The show will also spend some time in the 1950s as it tells the story of the Army officer who had knowledge that could be harmful to Monarch. It's not a coincidence that the flashback story is set in that era. We think some clever film theorists can also draw a connection between Godzilla and the US occupation of Japan, which ended in 1952. The first Godzilla movie released in 1954 and it is, in some ways, a reaction to the US's use of nuclear weapons in Japan at the conclusion of World War II.

The series stars Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski.

In an interesting twist, the Russells – father and son in real life – will both play Lee Shaw, the Army officer at the center of Monarch‘s story. Kurt plays Shaw in modern day, while Wyatt takes point in the 1950s flashbacks. As seen in the trailer, Shaw also worked directly with Monarch and hoped it would protect the world as the Titans had in primordial days. But it is possible Shaw’s tale has something to do with an attempt to destroy Godzilla with a nuclear bomb in 1954 (as mentioned in the 2014 film) or maybe even the group’s early attempts to find the Hollow Earth. That submersible the younger Shaw enters in the trailer is definitely of a curious design.

Watabe, as Kentaro, and Sawai, as Cate, are seemingly the siblings following their father’s clues about Monarch back to Shaw. And as glimpsed in the trailer, Clemons’s May is aiding them in their quest.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuts on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes on November 17. The rest of its 10-episode season will debut weekly on Fridays through January 12, 2024.

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