Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (TV 2023-)

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Monsterverse television series
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Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Air date Season 1: November 17, 2023 - January 12, 2024 Season 2: 2024-2025 Directed by Matt Shakman et al. Producer(s) Chris Black, Matt Fraction, et al. Written by Chris Black, Matt Fraction, et al. Music by Leopold Ross Funded by Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures, Toho Production company Legendary Television Distributor Warner Bros. Channel(s) Apple TV+ Rating TV-14 Genre(s) Drama, science fiction, action, adventure Episodes 10 Rate this series! 3.85 (46 votes)

“	Some secrets cannot be contained	„
	— Tagline

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (モナーク：レガシー・オブ・モンスターズ,   Monāku: Regashī obu Monsutāzu) is a 2023 science fiction monster television series developed, co-written, and showran by Chris Black and Matt Fraction. Produced by Legendary Television in collaboration with Safehouse Pictures and Toho, it premiered exclusively on the Apple TV+ streaming service on November 17, 2023 and aired weekly thereafter until January 12, 2024. A second season is also in development for a tentative 2024-2025 release. The series is the second to be set in the Monsterverse, after Netflix's animated series Skull Island which released earlier in 2023. It stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and father-son duo Kurt and Wyatt Russell.

The series features two parallel storylines. The first, set in 2015 between the events of Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), is centered around Japanese-American Cate Randa, a former school teacher who lived through Godzilla's attack on San Francisco. With her half-brother Kentaro and his ex-girlfriend May Olowe-Hewitt, she searches for answers about her and Kentaro's mysterious father, and finds herself entangled with the titular organization Monarch in the process. The second storyline is set in the past, from the 1950s to '80s, and follows Monarch's founders—rising U.S. Army soldier Lee Shaw, and Cate and Kentaro's grandparents Bill and Keiko Randa—as they make a series of discoveries about Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms.

Descriptions

“

Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga — spanning three generations — reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.

„

“

After surviving Godzilla’s attack on San Francisco, Cate is shaken yet again by a shocking secret. Amid monstrous threats, she embarks on a globetrotting adventure to learn the truth about her family—and the mysterious organization known as Monarch.

„

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Air date
1	"Aftermath"	Matt Shakman	Chris Black	November 17, 2023
Cate travels to Japan to get answers about her father and uncovers a shocking secret. Keiko, Lee, and Billy pursue a theory about Titans.
2	"Departure"	Matt Shakman	Chris Black	November 17, 2023
Monarch closes in on Cate, Kentaro, and May as they try to track down a key individual. Keiko, Lee, and Billy stumble on a major find.
3	"Secrets and Lies"	Julian Holmes	Andrew Colville	November 22, 2023
Shaw leads the team on a dangerous mission to Alaska in search of Hiroshi. Keiko, Lee, and Billy present their findings to General Puckett.
4	"Parallels and Interiors"	Julian Holmes	Milla Bell-Hart	December 1, 2023
The team is left stranded in the frozen tundra after a narrow escape. Kentaro reflects on his relationships.
5	"The Way Out"	Mairzee Almas	Amanda Overton	December 8, 2023
Cate's painful memories of G-Day come flooding back as she treks through the ruins of San Francisco with Kentaro and May.
6	"Terrifying Miracles"	Mairzee Almas	Karl Greenfeld	December 15, 2023
Shaw finds an unlikely ally within Monarch as the team has a harrowing run-in. Keiko and Lee grow closer while at a military ball.
7	"Will the Real May Please Stand Up?"	Hiromi Kamata	Mariko Tamaki	December 22, 2023
May finally faces her past. Duvall and Shaw follow traces of Godzilla and Hiroshi.
8	"Birthright"	Hiromi Kamata	Al Letson	December 29, 2023
The team goes back to where things all began to confront Shaw. On the brink of collapse, Monarch takes drastic measures.
9	"Axis Mundi"	Andy Goddard	Matt Fraction	January 5, 2024
Shaw and May search for Cate and make a startling discovery. Kentaro struggles with his loss.
10	"Beyond Logic"	Andy Goddard	Chris Black	January 12, 2024
Season finale. The team struggles to find a way out of Axis Mundi. Kentaro and Tim make an unexpected alliance.

Staff

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

• Directed by   Matt Shakman, Julian Holmes, Mairzee Almas, Hiromi Kamata, Andy Goddard
• Developed by   Chris Black, Matt Fraction
• Written by   Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Milla Bell-Hart, Amanda Overton, Karl Greenfeld, Mariko Tamaki, Al Letson, Matt Fraction
• Staff writer   Mariko Tamaki
• Executive producers   Thomas Tull, Hiro Matsuoka, Takemasa Arita, Max Borenstein, Brad Van Arragon, Andy Goddard, Andrew Colville, Matt Fraction, Matt Shakman, Tory Tunnell, Joby Harold, Chris Black
• Co-executive producers   Amanda Overton, Milla Bell-Hart, Matt Schwartz
• Supervising producer   Karl Greenfeld
• Produced by   Brian Rogers, Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira, Scott Schofield, Al Letson
• Associate producer   Caroline Stack
• Consulting producers   Michael Dougherty, Zach Shields, Bob Ducsay
• Visual effects producer   Jessica Smith
• Music by   Leopold Ross
• Cinematography by   Jess Hall, Jean-Philippe Gossart, Chris Seager, Sam McCurdy
• Edited by   Nona Khodai, Emily Streetz, Joe Talbot Hall, Mark Hartzell
• Production design by   Caroline Hanania
• First assistant directors   Jim Brebner, Dan Miller, Gurjit Chohan
• Visual effects supervisor   Sean Konrad

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right. Anna Sawai   as   Cate Randa Kiersey Clemons   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Ren Watabe   as   Kentaro Randa Mari Yamamoto   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Anders Holm   as   young Bill Randa Joe Tippett   as   Tim Wyatt Russell   as   young Lee Shaw Kurt Russell   as   Colonel Lee Shaw Elisa Lasowski   as   Michelle Duvall Takehiro Hira   as   Hiroshi Randa Qyoko Kudo   as   Emiko Randa Mirelly Taylor   as   Deputy Director Natalia Verdugo Jess Salgueiro   as   Dr. Barnes Christopher Heyerdahl   as   General Puckett Tamlyn Tomita   as   Caroline Randa John Goodman   as   Assistant Professor Bill Randa Amber Midthunder   as   Isabel Japanese dub Eri Kitamura   as   Cate Randa Megumi Han   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Ayumu Murase   as   Kentaro Randa Rie Tanaka   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Daisuke Namikawa   as   young Bill Randa Yasuhiro Kikuchi   as   Tim Satoshi Hino   as   young Lee Shaw French dub Geneviève Doang   as   Cate Randa Aurélie Konaté   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Martin Faliu   as   Kentaro Randa Claire Guyot   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Marc Maurille   as   young Bill Randa Thierry Kazazian   as   Tim Mario Bastelica   as   young Lee Shaw Portuguese dub Tonia Mesquita   as   Cate Randa Maju Helman   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Renan Takenouchi   as   Kentaro Randa Regina Maria Maia   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Philippe Maia   as   young Bill Randa Pedro Azevedo   as   Tim Reginaldo Primo   as   young Lee Shaw

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right. German dub Friedel Morgenstern   as   Cate Randa Samina König   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Julian Tennstedt   as   Kentaro Randa Lin Gothoni   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Roman Wolko   as   young Bill Randa Ulrich Blöcher   as   Tim Tim Knauer   as   young Lee Shaw Italian dub Letizia Ciampa   as   Cate Randa Eva Padoan   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Federico Campaiola   as   Kentaro Randa Valentina Mari   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Francesco Venditti   as   young Bill Randa Fabrizio Dolce   as   Tim Stefano Crescentini   as   young Lee Shaw Castilian Spanish dub Roser Vilches   as   Cate Randa Lara Ullod   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Tito Trifol   as   Kentaro Randa Marta Ullod   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Marc Torrents   as   young Bill Randa Mark Ullod   as   Tim David Brau   as   young Lee Shaw Latin American Spanish dub Polly Huerta   as   Cate Randa Lilian Vela   as   May Olowe-Hewitt Héctor Ireta De Alba   as   Kentaro Randa Jocelyn Robles   as   Dr. Keiko Randa Geno Sánchez   as   young Bill Randa Manuel Pérez   as   Tim Edson Matus   as   young Lee Shaw

Appearances

Titans and superspecies Godzilla (GareGoji and DougheGoji) Mother Longlegs Mantleclaw Endoswarmer Endopede Ion Dragon Frost Vark Brambleboar King Kong Skullcrawler (carcass) Skull Devil (photograph) Male MUTO (stock footage) Other monsters Axis Mundi butterfly Bigfoot (photograph) Yeti (mentioned)

Weapons, vehicles, races, and organizations Monarch AET/Apex Cybernetics Anti-Titan missile launchers Cessna AT-17 Bobcat M1 Abrams USS Lawton

Development

The series was announced by Apple on January 20, 2022; details included that it would be co-created by Chris Black and Matt Fraction, executive produced by Black, Fraction, Safehouse Pictures, and Toho, and set after the events of 2014's Godzilla.

Four days later on January 24, Charles Murphy of Murphy's Multiverse reported that the series had been given the title "Hourglass" and was scheduled to begin production that May. This proved true with the release of issue 1283 of Production Weekly on January 27, which confirmed its working title as Hourglass as well as its planned production period. The publication also revealed additional producers and Chris Black and Matt Fraction's role as writers, among other staff. Issue 1286 of Production Weekly, released on February 17, confirmed that the series would be shooting in Vancouver, Tokyo, and Hawaii, and gave a new title of "Monarch".

On April 14, issue #1294 of Production Weekly reported Matt Shakman as director. On May 5, issue #1297 reported that Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell were rumored for the roles of "Old Lee Shaw" and "Young Lee Shaw," respectively. Variety reported on May 19 that Shakman would only be directing the series' first two episodes as well as executive producing. Production Weekly dropped the Monarch title with issue #1305 on June 30, instead switching to "Godzilla and the Titans." The same issue reported Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski as cast members; Deadline corroborated this the same day, though it maintained that the series was still untitled.

Variety confirmed Kurt and Wyatt Russell's casting on July 20, though their roles were not specified. On August 18, Deadline reported that Mari Yamamoto had also joined the cast. On October 3, Variety announced that Anders Holm had joined.

On November 13, Fraction spoke briefly about the series in a post for his and Kelly Sue DeConnick's subscription newsletter Milkfed Dispatches, revealing the show to be 10 episodes long. Between February 7 and 8 of 2023, Collider and ComicBook.com reported on interviews both had conducted with Shakman. In the former interview, he stated the show to be in post-production and that it would have "some overlap" with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, though "it's not as involved as, say, an MCU kind of Disney+ film crossover. It's less organized than that." In the latter, he revealed that the series will involve "a lot of cool Titans and monsters, some new, some old."

On February 23, trademarks were filed for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" by Legend IP Holdings Production, LLC. The title was announced officially that August 17, along with the series' projected release window.

Production

The series filmed in Vancouver, Tokyo, and Hawaii. A shooting period was initially set for between May 9 and November 16, 2022, with the British Columbia unit to begin on May 26 and conclude on October 18. However, the BC unit's shooting period was later moved back to between July 6 and December 19. The BC unit's wrap date was then moved up to December 14 and again to December 9, with shooting finally beginning on June 27. Shooting in Hawaii was set to begin that December.

By January 7, 2023, principal photography on the series had concluded and it had entered post-production.

Marketing

Four stills from the show were released on August 17, 2023, two of which were set during Godzilla's battle with the U.S. military at the Golden Gate Bridge in Godzilla (2014). A short video released on September 7 preceded the release of a teaser on September 8, which revealed John Goodman's return to the Monsterverse as Bill Randa and offered glimpses of two new monsters and a Mother Longlegs.

A poster was revealed exclusively on the r/Monsterverse subreddit on October 9. A panel for the show was held at the New York Comic Con, with a screening of the first episode on October 12. The same day, the MonarchSciences Twitter account originally created to promote Kong: Skull Island began tweeting again; however, the account was "taken over" by a mysterious third party. Later the same day, a trailer for the show was released, showcasing several new monsters and characters, and a new viral marketing website named Monarch Unlocked was made available, featuring a video message by Bill Randa and several photos. On October 24, the site was updated with an additional video from Randa titled "Randa_Super8.mp4."

Alternate titles

• Hourglass (working title)
• Monarch (proposed title)
• Godzilla and the Titans (proposed title)

In other languages

Language Name Meaning Japanese モナーク：レガシー・オブ・モンスターズ,   Monāku: Regashī obu Monsutāzu Transliteration of English title Chinese Cantonese 君主組織與神秘巨獸,   Jūnzhǔ Zǔzhī yǔ Shénmì Jùshòu The Monarch Organization and the Mysterious Beasts Mandarin 君主計畫：神祕組織與怪獸之謎,   Jūnzhǔ Jìhuà: Shénmì Zǔzhī yǔ Guàishòu zhī Mí Project Monarch: The Puzzle of the Mysterious Organization and Monsters Czech Monarch: Odkaz monster Translation of English title Canadian French Monarch : l’héritage des monstres Monarch: The Legacy of Monsters Hindi मॉनार्क : लेगसी ऑफ़ मॉन्सटर्स Monaark : Legasee of Monsatars Transliteration of English title Hungarian Monarch: A szörnyek hagyatéka Monarch: The Legacy of Monsters Korean 모나크: 레거시 오브 몬스터즈,   Monakeu: Legeosi obeu Monseuteojeu Transliteration of English title Polish Monarch: dziedzictwo potworów Translation of English title Portuguese Monarch: Legado de Monstros Translation of English title Russian «Монарх»: наследие монстров «Monarkh»: naslediye monstrov "Monarch": Legacy of Monsters Slovak Monarch: Odkaz monštier Translation of English title Spanish Latin America Monarch: legado de monstruos Translation of English title Spain Monarch: el legado de los monstruos Monarch: The Legacy of the Monsters Ukrainian Монарх: спадок монстрів Monarkh: spadok monstriv Translation of English title Vietnamese Monarch: Thế Giới Quái Thú Monarch: World of Monsters

Gallery

Main article: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters/Gallery.

Videos

Main article: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters/Videos.

Trivia

• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first Godzilla television series which does not feature Godzilla's name in its title.
• This is the first live-action Godzilla television series in over two decades, following Godzilla TV (1999-2000). Godziban (2019-2023), while live action, is not televised.
  • It is also the first live-action Godzilla TV series to be story-driven since Godzilla Island (1997-1998) 26 years prior, and the first American Godzilla series of any kind since Godzilla: The Series (1998-2000) 25 years prior.
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first TV show to directly tie into a Godzilla film continuity since Godzilla: The Series, and the first of them to be live action since Zone Fighter (1973). However, it is not the first TV show to tie into the Monsterverse continuity, as Netflix's animated series Skull Island was released four months prior.
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first major installment in the Monsterverse to feature Godzilla's GareGoji design outside of stock footage since its debut in Godzilla (2014). It appears in flashbacks to 2014 and earlier.
• The character of Lee Shaw first appeared in the 2014 Monsterverse graphic novel Godzilla: Awakening, though his first name was not given.
• The ruins of Salesforce Tower can be seen in flashbacks to San Francisco in 2014. In real life, the tower wasn't completed until 2018.
  • The Bay Bridge is also shown destroyed in flashbacks, although it can be seen intact in Godzilla (2014) as Godzilla returns to the ocean.
• While nearly every episode of the first season was released on a Friday, the third episode was released on a Wednesday, likely due to the Thanksgiving holiday.
• The Apple TV+ Press listing for the series erroneously gives its parental rating as TV-Y, the lowest on the scale. In actuality it is rated TV-14, the second-highest.
• Characters in the series refer to the day in which Godzilla battled the MUTOs in San Francisco as "G-Day." In Legendary Pictures' other giant monster franchise, Pacific Rim, K-DAY is the term used for the day the first Kaiju, Trespasser, made landfall. Both of these monster attacks resulted in the destruction of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.
• The show's Japanese dub and captions translate Titan as "kaiju", keeping consistent with the Japanese versions of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is the first piece of live-action Godzilla media to feature LGBTQ+ characters.

External links

• Monarch Unlocked
• Apple TV+ streaming page
• Apple TV+ Press listing

References

This is a list of references for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

Bibliography

• ""MONARCH" (w/t "HOURGLASS") Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1286. Production Weekly. 17 February 2022.
• ""MONARCH" (w/t "HOURGLASS") Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1287. Production Weekly. 24 February 2022.
• ""UNTITLED GODZILLA AND TITANS PROJECT" (w/t "HOURGLASS") Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1283. Production Weekly. 27 January 2022.
• ""MONARCH" Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1294. Production Weekly. 14 April 2022.
• ""GODZILLA AND THE TITANS" Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1305. Production Weekly. 30 June 2022.
• ""MONARCH" Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1289. Production Weekly. 10 March 2022.
• ""GODZILLA AND THE TITANS" Series / Apple TV+". Production Weekly. No. 1306. Production Weekly. 7 July 2022.

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