Critical popcorn

If you know anything about me, you’d appreciate I’m a little bit fascinated, and in awe, of the likes of Godzilla and the Toho-related world he resides in. While I’d love to see such creations on the biggest screens possible, I’m also very eager to discover what they’re bringing to the smaller screen as Legendary’s Monsterverse ‘live-action series’ has been announced, and it’s immediately exciting!

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is setting us up with a 10-episode series and a great cast that is lead by Kurt Russell, as well as Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski. Connected to the wider Legendary Studios world, it takes us on following the battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real…

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters itself will join two siblings, who are following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. As they head down the rabbit hole, that leads to Officer Lee Shaw (*mindblown* played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell – I guess in reverse order to their lives now), as it takes place in the 1950s and fifty years later, where Monarch itself is threatened by what Shaw knows. The saga is said to span three generations, and sounds pretty darn epic to be honest.

Co-developed by Chris Black and Matt Fraction, with the likes of Severance and Hawkeye in their production filmography, the opening episodes are directed by Matt Shakman – and I’m hopeful for something good, especially as Apple TV+ have really embedded in huge stories with their shows.

It’s also good to see that Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., and they license the rights to Legendary for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters as a natural byproduct of their long-term relationship.