We know that the MonsterVerse franchise is extremely popular. What started off as a Godzilla and King Kong reboot became a major cinematic franchise that brought the studio a lot of money. In the meantime, a television series – Monarch: Legacy of Monsters – was also launched and became a global hit, with fans eagerly awaiting a new season. The series was co-created by Matt Fraction and Chris Black, and the latter is going to be at the center of this report.
The topic we wanted to share with you is related to an interview between Christopher Rosen and Chris Black, one of the co-creators of the series. The two of them had a talk as part of the GoldDerby podcast and it was so interesting that we absolutely had to report on it.
As you can assume, Rosen and Black talked about a lot of things, but there is a very interesting one that was discussed,...
The topic we wanted to share with you is related to an interview between Christopher Rosen and Chris Black, one of the co-creators of the series. The two of them had a talk as part of the GoldDerby podcast and it was so interesting that we absolutely had to report on it.
As you can assume, Rosen and Black talked about a lot of things, but there is a very interesting one that was discussed,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
The first season of Legendary’s MonsterVerse TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters ran on Apple TV+ from November into January (you can read our own Alex Maidy’s review of the first batch of episodes Here), and while Godzilla was an important figure in that season, it wrapped up with an episode that indicated Kong might be taking the spotlight if there were to be a follow-up. The show was co-developed by Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Matt Fraction (Hawkeye), and during a recent interview with Gold Derby, Black said that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2 is aiming to be bigger and better – while giving viewers the Kong action they’re hoping to see.
Black told Gold Derby (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription), “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we...
Black told Gold Derby (with thanks to our friends at Bloody Disgusting for the transcription), “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we...
- 5/24/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
In addition to a sixth Monsterverse movie, Legendary will also continue to expand upon their monster-filled cinematic universe with a second season of the Apple TV+ series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” and more spinoff shows have been teased for the coming years.
But first let’s focus on “Monarch” Season 2…
The first season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” ended with the surprising arrival of King Kong, and co-creator Chris Black ensures that’s one promise Season 2 will make good on.
Chris Black tells Gold Derby this week, “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we appear to have lost Colonel Shaw, we have this reunion with the family… that feels like a great launch pad for Season 2.”
“We want to continue to tell this human story, we want to continue to tell the story of the Randa family and...
But first let’s focus on “Monarch” Season 2…
The first season of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” ended with the surprising arrival of King Kong, and co-creator Chris Black ensures that’s one promise Season 2 will make good on.
Chris Black tells Gold Derby this week, “I think where we left the season gave us so much fertile territory for storytelling. Keiko comes back, we appear to have lost Colonel Shaw, we have this reunion with the family… that feels like a great launch pad for Season 2.”
“We want to continue to tell this human story, we want to continue to tell the story of the Randa family and...
- 5/23/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
This article contains spoilers for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 1.
The history of the MonsterVerse stands revealed in the Apple TV+ original series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Set in the aftermath of Godzilla’s cataclysmic emergence in San Francisco, as chronicled in 2014’s Godzilla, a young woman named Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) travels to Japan after her father’s apparent death only to learn her family is part of a global conspiracy involving Titans like Godzilla. Teaming up with Kentaro Randa (Ren Watanabe), the half-brother she never knew she had, Cate travels the world with her father’s old associate Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell in flashback) to learn more about Monarch, the clandestine organization overseen by her adoptive grandfather Bill Randa (Anders Holm).
Here is how the first season finale of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters leaves its characters, what earth-shattering revelations are made, which characters don’t...
The history of the MonsterVerse stands revealed in the Apple TV+ original series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Set in the aftermath of Godzilla’s cataclysmic emergence in San Francisco, as chronicled in 2014’s Godzilla, a young woman named Cate Randa (Anna Sawai) travels to Japan after her father’s apparent death only to learn her family is part of a global conspiracy involving Titans like Godzilla. Teaming up with Kentaro Randa (Ren Watanabe), the half-brother she never knew she had, Cate travels the world with her father’s old associate Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell in flashback) to learn more about Monarch, the clandestine organization overseen by her adoptive grandfather Bill Randa (Anders Holm).
Here is how the first season finale of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters leaves its characters, what earth-shattering revelations are made, which characters don’t...
- 1/12/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
This post contains spoilers for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" season 1.
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" wrapped up its first season this week with a surprisingly satisfying finale that wove together disparate threads the show has been untangling all season. The sci-fi series' overlong debut season still managed to keep plenty of viewers intrigued with a myriad of monsters, an endless stream of mysteries, and two Russells for the price of one, but its final two episodes are the best "Monarch" has been yet.
There's no bloat in the season's big payoff episode, which sees Lee Shaw and his team of assorted and sundry amateur sleuths enter the Titan realm (Aka the Hollow Earth) after an attempt to seal it off went wrong. Along the way, they finally figure out what happened to Shaw's friend and colleague Kei (Mari Yamamoto) all those years ago. Part emotional reunion, part thrilling, monster-filled adventure, the...
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" wrapped up its first season this week with a surprisingly satisfying finale that wove together disparate threads the show has been untangling all season. The sci-fi series' overlong debut season still managed to keep plenty of viewers intrigued with a myriad of monsters, an endless stream of mysteries, and two Russells for the price of one, but its final two episodes are the best "Monarch" has been yet.
There's no bloat in the season's big payoff episode, which sees Lee Shaw and his team of assorted and sundry amateur sleuths enter the Titan realm (Aka the Hollow Earth) after an attempt to seal it off went wrong. Along the way, they finally figure out what happened to Shaw's friend and colleague Kei (Mari Yamamoto) all those years ago. Part emotional reunion, part thrilling, monster-filled adventure, the...
- 1/12/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
We have always talked about how well Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has broadened the scope of modern monster epics by assimilating interesting human storylines with creature spectacle, but even we didn’t expect the engrossing emotional output the resultant treatment will provide as the season finale of the series managed to present. There were a number of well-connected story arcs in the series, the major one being the three-generation-spanning, Titan tracking tale, with both the Randa family and Lee Shaw at the center of the entirety. Aside from the core storyline, the emergence of Titans during the past and present timeline showcased differing coping mechanisms undertaken by humanity, ranging between willingness to co-exist to destructive reactions stemming from egocentric ideologies. Both of these narrative strands are tied up in the final episode of the first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, titled ‘Beyond Logic’, in a spectacular fashion, leaving enough...
- 1/12/2024
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
It has been observed time and again how important the balance between the narrative correlation of human-monster elements really is to make any monster-oriented story work well, and Apple TV+’s Monsterverse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has gained traction by duly exemplifying that. In the penultimate episode of the first season, the series once again doubles down on the narrative balance as we get to see Lee Shaw in a new light, especially through his relationship with Keiko’s son, Hiroshi.
In the previous episode, it was revealed that in the past timeline, after the power shift in Monarch, the military-minded Lieutenant Hatch had started calling the shots and brought the organization to the verge of being decommissioned by discrediting the scientific endeavors of Bill and Keiko. To counter Hatch’s report, Shaw instructed Bill and Keiko to chart out a Titan map, which led to Bill’s speculation...
In the previous episode, it was revealed that in the past timeline, after the power shift in Monarch, the military-minded Lieutenant Hatch had started calling the shots and brought the organization to the verge of being decommissioned by discrediting the scientific endeavors of Bill and Keiko. To counter Hatch’s report, Shaw instructed Bill and Keiko to chart out a Titan map, which led to Bill’s speculation...
- 1/7/2024
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
Time might heal wounds of the past, but it is up to us to decide whether to let the hurt dictate our actions, misguide us, or to move beyond it and use it as a positive influence. The death of his Monarch colleague and old flame, Dr. Keiko Miura had affected Shaw’s perspective towards the entire Titan tracking ordeal of the shadowy organization, and as the last episode has shown, he is ready to take drastic measures to atone for her loss. Previously, the renegade team of Monarch operatives led by Shaw and Duvall seized Monarch’s Alaskan outpost, and the team destroyed the Titan Frost Vark and a Hollow Earth gateway by detonating charges around them. Shaw’s seemingly villainous turn was an unpredictable development, but the eighth episode, Birthright, adds much more emotional heft, which in some ways explains his actions in a new light.
On the other hand,...
On the other hand,...
- 12/29/2023
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
So far, Kentaro’s old flame, the genius techie May Hewitt, stuck out like a sore thumb amidst all the Randa-Shaw Titan shenanigans in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, an issue that was promptly rectified in the seventh episode of the series. Along with a due exploration of May’s past the seventh episode highlighted a rather shocking turn of events, which will make viewers re-assess Shaw and his team of Monarch rebels in a new light.
In the previous episode, the past timeline revealed a unique gamma-ray mimicking device created by Dr. Suzuki, which was used to lure Godzilla into Hateruma, aka ‘Monster Island’—allowing Bill, Keiko, and Shaw another chance to have a close encounter with the king of the monsters. However, Shaw’s growing feelings for Keiko resulted in him temporarily abandoning his post in Monarch, which resulted in a change in leadership as the military of the...
In the previous episode, the past timeline revealed a unique gamma-ray mimicking device created by Dr. Suzuki, which was used to lure Godzilla into Hateruma, aka ‘Monster Island’—allowing Bill, Keiko, and Shaw another chance to have a close encounter with the king of the monsters. However, Shaw’s growing feelings for Keiko resulted in him temporarily abandoning his post in Monarch, which resulted in a change in leadership as the military of the...
- 12/22/2023
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
As an interconnected franchise, Legendary’s MonsterVerse is going to complete a decade in the pop culture landscape by next year, with a humble collection of five movies and two series, and the major connecting thread in its world-building, obviously aside from the primeval Titans, is the organization ‘Monarch’ itself. Despite being the central overseer of all Titan-related affairs, the role of the organization was largely undermined, and without a definitive direction, it was reduced to a generic plot device. Things took a better turn after Monarch: Legacy of Monsters added a strong foundation to the origin and gradual transformation of the titular organization, rooted in the human-monster relationship, which acts as a brilliant contemporary political commentary at the same time.
So far, through the course of six episodes, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has established a number of in-universe links and acknowledged its indebtedness to the existing Kaiju lore of...
So far, through the course of six episodes, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has established a number of in-universe links and acknowledged its indebtedness to the existing Kaiju lore of...
- 12/19/2023
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
With each episode, the Monsterverse series Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters seems to excel in diversifying its narrative tone and structure, which adds on new layers to the central mystery in the process. While the first two episodes focused more on the buildup and integration of the Titans into the world, the third one delineated a critique of human impact on nature, and the fourth one simultaneously took an introspective look into the psyche of one of the main leads of the series and added a new spin by turning the episode into a survival thriller. The series format provides a chance for layered storytelling, and the way Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters capitalizes on that is something other Monsterverse ventures are going to have a tough time matching up to.
In the previous episode, in search of their father Hiroshi Randa, Cate and Kentaro agreed to help Lee Shaw (a friend...
In the previous episode, in search of their father Hiroshi Randa, Cate and Kentaro agreed to help Lee Shaw (a friend...
- 12/1/2023
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is the best kind of TV show belonging to a cinematic universe. It works as a fantastic series in its own right, one with a compelling mystery box, cool and memorable characters you genuinely want to follow even when the monsters aren't around, and visuals that match the main movies.
Perhaps most importantly as part of a cinematic universe, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" ties into the larger MonsterVerse without making either the series or the movies feel like chores. Watching the show enriches the movies and vice versa, but one is not necessary to watch the other.
The show takes place on two timelines. It tells us the origins of the mysterious organization Monarch, and it's also a story of a woman and her newfound half-brother in the aftermath of Godzilla's first reappearance trying to piece together how their father is involved with the organization.
Perhaps most importantly as part of a cinematic universe, "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" ties into the larger MonsterVerse without making either the series or the movies feel like chores. Watching the show enriches the movies and vice versa, but one is not necessary to watch the other.
The show takes place on two timelines. It tells us the origins of the mysterious organization Monarch, and it's also a story of a woman and her newfound half-brother in the aftermath of Godzilla's first reappearance trying to piece together how their father is involved with the organization.
- 11/24/2023
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters."
Apple TV+ is getting into the kaiju business with the new Legendary MonsterVerse series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," and we couldn't be more excited. The new show isn't the first TV series in the long-running Godzilla franchise, but it's the first big-budget live-action American show, and as such, it's got plenty to prove to fans of big creatures that love to stomp all over humankind.
The first two episodes of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" just dropped on the streamer, and while they're plenty intriguing on their own merits, they also tie directly into previous movies in the American saga that started with 2014's "Godzilla." That movie came out nearly a decade ago, though, and the multiple timelines and new cast members in "Monarch" mean even the most loyal fans will be downloading a lot of new information while trying to keep track of the old stuff.
Apple TV+ is getting into the kaiju business with the new Legendary MonsterVerse series "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters," and we couldn't be more excited. The new show isn't the first TV series in the long-running Godzilla franchise, but it's the first big-budget live-action American show, and as such, it's got plenty to prove to fans of big creatures that love to stomp all over humankind.
The first two episodes of "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" just dropped on the streamer, and while they're plenty intriguing on their own merits, they also tie directly into previous movies in the American saga that started with 2014's "Godzilla." That movie came out nearly a decade ago, though, and the multiple timelines and new cast members in "Monarch" mean even the most loyal fans will be downloading a lot of new information while trying to keep track of the old stuff.
- 11/18/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters."
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" just dropped on Apple TV+, and while the show still seems to be finding its footing in its first two episodes, the premiere has already assuaged some of fans' basic fears about how the show would work. Sure, this is a kaiju series and a continuation of the story that started with Legendary's MonsterVerse a decade ago, but it's also a 10-hour-long season on a streamer known more for its brainy literary adaptations than all things monstrous. Plus, the title is "Legacy of Monsters" and the show's first trailer sets it up to be more of a cross-generational mystery than an action series. In short, we worried ahead of release that "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" might be a bit short on the actual monsters. Nope!
The first two episodes of the show set up the multi-timeline...
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" just dropped on Apple TV+, and while the show still seems to be finding its footing in its first two episodes, the premiere has already assuaged some of fans' basic fears about how the show would work. Sure, this is a kaiju series and a continuation of the story that started with Legendary's MonsterVerse a decade ago, but it's also a 10-hour-long season on a streamer known more for its brainy literary adaptations than all things monstrous. Plus, the title is "Legacy of Monsters" and the show's first trailer sets it up to be more of a cross-generational mystery than an action series. In short, we worried ahead of release that "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" might be a bit short on the actual monsters. Nope!
The first two episodes of the show set up the multi-timeline...
- 11/17/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
This article contains spoilers for Legendary’s “MonsterVerse” films.
Apple+‘s newest blockbuster series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, has now arrived to flesh out the larger than life “MonsterVerse.” Legacy Pictures has been building this shared universe filled with infamous kaiju ever since the reboot of Godzilla in 2014, and since, has given us all the classic monsters including Ghidora, Mothra, Rodan and of course, Kong.
Legacy of Monsters helps fill the little gaps in the periphery of the story, fleshing out the humans who choose to find, study, and often protect these massive creatures. At the center of it all has always been the imposing consortium known as “Monarch.” With all the giant-sized kaiju-chaos that can often be the most memorable moments of these monster movies, it’s understandable if Monarch shrinks in the presence of the true stars of the show. Not to worry, though, because we’re about...
Apple+‘s newest blockbuster series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, has now arrived to flesh out the larger than life “MonsterVerse.” Legacy Pictures has been building this shared universe filled with infamous kaiju ever since the reboot of Godzilla in 2014, and since, has given us all the classic monsters including Ghidora, Mothra, Rodan and of course, Kong.
Legacy of Monsters helps fill the little gaps in the periphery of the story, fleshing out the humans who choose to find, study, and often protect these massive creatures. At the center of it all has always been the imposing consortium known as “Monarch.” With all the giant-sized kaiju-chaos that can often be the most memorable moments of these monster movies, it’s understandable if Monarch shrinks in the presence of the true stars of the show. Not to worry, though, because we’re about...
- 11/17/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
In the studio-wide franchise business, episodic live-action TV series have taken center stage, replacing movies, and reasonably so, as not only does it provide the makers with more area to explore in the narrative and greater scope for characterization through a longer runtime, but it has also become a fan favorite medium in no time. Taking a cue from that, Legendary’s Monsterverse is the latest franchise to expand their arena through series, and the first step in that direction is Apple TV+’s latest release Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Revolving around Godzilla and other primordial behemoths known as Titans, their impact on the world populated by humans, and the role of secretive Titans tracking titular organizations in all this, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters spans generations worth of storytelling to uncover secrets about the world unknown. Monsterverse as a franchise was initiated with Gareth Edward’s much-acclaimed Godzilla (2014), which left its mark through a grounded,...
Revolving around Godzilla and other primordial behemoths known as Titans, their impact on the world populated by humans, and the role of secretive Titans tracking titular organizations in all this, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters spans generations worth of storytelling to uncover secrets about the world unknown. Monsterverse as a franchise was initiated with Gareth Edward’s much-acclaimed Godzilla (2014), which left its mark through a grounded,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Siddhartha Das
- Film Fugitives
Godzilla may appear in the background of all the posters for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but there’s very much a reason that his name doesn’t appear in the title. Rather than featuring wall-to-wall creature action, the Apple TV+ series—pointedly named for the kaiju-tracking organization that appears throughout the MonsterVerse films—mainly tells what is very much a human story. Focusing on people who must live in a world that now knows giant monsters lurk in its darkest corners, Monarch is a strong reminder of the human element that so many of the MonsterVerse films sorely lack.
Monarch’s story unfolds across two main timelines: one set in the 1950s that explores the founding of Monarch, and the other in 2015, where the world is still reeling from the first appearance of Godzilla in San Francisco, which has been termed “G-day.” The 2015 timeline opens on Cate (Anna Sawai), a schoolteacher and G-day survivor,...
Monarch’s story unfolds across two main timelines: one set in the 1950s that explores the founding of Monarch, and the other in 2015, where the world is still reeling from the first appearance of Godzilla in San Francisco, which has been termed “G-day.” The 2015 timeline opens on Cate (Anna Sawai), a schoolteacher and G-day survivor,...
- 11/17/2023
- by Steven Scaife
- Slant Magazine
“There’s a world down there, Cate…and it’s not ours.”
In 1933, King Kong was presented to the world as a beast living on the fictional Skull Island who became enchanted by the young Fay Wray. Since Kong’s debut and subsequent fall from The Empire State Building, movie and television audiences have been taken by the possibility of monsters living amongst us. Whether it’s the Loch Ness monster or Japan’s own Godzilla, these creatures have created a genre in filmmaking that’s exponentially increased in popularity in recent years.
Apple TV+ is getting into the Monsterverse game with their newest television series, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” premiering Friday, Nov. 17. Created by Chris Black and developed by Matt Fraction, the show continues the events of several monster movies of recent memory, like 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” and 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Unlike Disney+’s method of television...
In 1933, King Kong was presented to the world as a beast living on the fictional Skull Island who became enchanted by the young Fay Wray. Since Kong’s debut and subsequent fall from The Empire State Building, movie and television audiences have been taken by the possibility of monsters living amongst us. Whether it’s the Loch Ness monster or Japan’s own Godzilla, these creatures have created a genre in filmmaking that’s exponentially increased in popularity in recent years.
Apple TV+ is getting into the Monsterverse game with their newest television series, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” premiering Friday, Nov. 17. Created by Chris Black and developed by Matt Fraction, the show continues the events of several monster movies of recent memory, like 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island” and 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Unlike Disney+’s method of television...
- 11/16/2023
- by Matthew Creith
- The Wrap
It’s not Godzilla or King Kong that serves as the connective tissue in Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse, but the secret government agency tasked with studying them: Monarch.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” the second MonsterVerse series (after the animated “Skull Island”), seeks to dig further into the mysterious organization’s origins, dating back much further than the MonsterVerse’s beginnings with 2014’s Godzilla. Using Godzilla as a launchpad, “Monarch” aims to expand the mythology through a globe-trotting mystery, making for a Titan-filled adventure that’s uneven in energy and execution.
“Monarch” primarily takes place in 2015, in the wake of Godzilla’s epic battle with the MUTOs and the devastation that left San Francisco in ruins. That’s not the only event that’s destroyed G-Day survivor Cate Randa’s (Anna Sawai) sense of normality; she’s just lost her father (Takehiro Hira). Cate pushes past the Ptsd from G-Day and travels...
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” the second MonsterVerse series (after the animated “Skull Island”), seeks to dig further into the mysterious organization’s origins, dating back much further than the MonsterVerse’s beginnings with 2014’s Godzilla. Using Godzilla as a launchpad, “Monarch” aims to expand the mythology through a globe-trotting mystery, making for a Titan-filled adventure that’s uneven in energy and execution.
“Monarch” primarily takes place in 2015, in the wake of Godzilla’s epic battle with the MUTOs and the devastation that left San Francisco in ruins. That’s not the only event that’s destroyed G-Day survivor Cate Randa’s (Anna Sawai) sense of normality; she’s just lost her father (Takehiro Hira). Cate pushes past the Ptsd from G-Day and travels...
- 11/13/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
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