Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

***Monarch: Legacy of Monsters*** is an American monster television series created by Chris Black and developed by Black and Matt Fraction for the streaming service Apple TV+ based on Godzilla by Toho Co., Ltd. Produced by Safehouse Pictures, Toho Co., Ltd., Milkfed Criminal Masterminds, Chris Black Broadcasting System and Legendary Television, it is the sixth installment and the second television series in the MonsterVerse franchise. The series follows members of the organization Monarch as they encounter Godzilla and other monsters, known as "Titans", over the span of a half century, following the events of *Godzilla* (2014). Black serves as showrunner.

The series stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski, alongside Wyatt Russell and Kurt Russell in the shared role of Lee Shaw. *Monarch: Legacy of Monsters* premiered on Apple TV+ on November 17, 2023 to positive reviews from critics.

## Premise

Following the epic battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, two siblings, following in their father's footsteps, 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, 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.

## Cast

### Main

* Anna Sawai as Cate Randa: A former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor who travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret. Tired of running from her problems, she is determined to find answers.
* Kiersey Clemons as May Olowe-Hewitt: An American ex-pat with a roguish exterior that she uses to protect herself as well as others. Whether it be deciphering a code or finding the loophole, she is always three steps ahead of everyone around her.
* Ren Watabe as Kentaro Randa: An intelligent, creative, and curious young man who has yet to find his own path. He will embark on a quest to learn more about his revered yet mysterious father and discover his own talents in the process.
* Mari Yamamoto as Keiko Miura: A scientist who becomes involved with Randa's investigations of monsters
* Anders Holm as Bill Randa: A cryptozoologist who will eventually become a researcher for Monarch
	+ John Goodman as an older Randa, reprising his role from *Kong: Skull Island* (2017)
* Joe Tippett as Tim: An office drone working for Monarch who dreams of secret agent adventure. His overconfidence gets him in trouble in the field, but he is determined not to fail his organization.
* Elisa Lasowski as Duvall: An expert operative working for Monarch with unwavering confidence in herself and her skills. She also possesses a wry sense of humor, which she uses to guide her less field-oriented colleague.
* Kurt Russell as Lee Shaw: A former U.S. Army colonel who joins Randa's investigations of monsters
	+ Wyatt Russell as young Lee Shaw

### Guest

* Takehiro Hira as Hiroshi Randa, Keiko and William’s son and Cate and Kentaro's father
* Qyoko Kudo as Emiko Randa, Kentaro's mother
* Tamlyn Tomita as Caroline, Cate's mother
* Christopher Heyerdahl as General Puckett, Shaw's superior officer
* Bruce Baek as Du-Ho, Shaw’s old friend and an ally

## Episodes

Mairzee Almas, Andy Goddard, and Hiromi Kamata direct episodes.

## Production

### Development

Following the success of *Godzilla vs. Kong*, discussions commenced on ways that the MonsterVerse could be expanded beyond feature films. Legendary proposed a live-action series, and amongst the potential investors, Apple TV+ expressed immediate interest and negotiated a deal and green-lit the series in January 2022. The project will be a joint-venture production between Legendary Television, Safehouse Pictures and Toho. Chris Black will serve as showrunner, although Warner Bros. still owns the rights for the *MonsterVerse* franchise alongside Legendary.

In May, Matt Shakman was hired to direct the first two episodes in addition to executive producing. In addition to Black and Matt Fraction, writers for the series include Andrew Colville, Milla Bell-Hart, Amanda Overton, Karl Taro Greenfeld, Mariko Tamaki, and Al Letson.

### Casting

In June 2022, Anna Sawai, Ren Watabe, Kiersey Clemons, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski were cast in the series. In July, Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell were added to the cast, with Mari Yamamoto joining in August. In September, Anders Holm joined the cast while also revealing the show's title. In September 2023, with the release of the teaser trailer, John Goodman was revealed to be reprising his role from *Kong: Skull Island* (2017) as William "Bill" Randa.

### Filming

In July 2022, it was revealed that principal photography had commenced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Two weeks of filming occurred in Japan in August. The series is shot with 3D cameras in Apple's Spatial Video Format for the Apple Vision Pro.

### Music

In October 2023, Leopold Ross was confirmed to be composing the score for the series. The soundtrack was released digitally by Milan Records on November 17, 2023, with the series' main titles track released on November 3 as a single.

## Marketing

In August 2023, Apple released first look images of the series, now officially titled *Monarch: Legacy of Monsters*. The teaser for the series was released on September 8, 2023, along with more images. The first trailer for the series debuted at the 2023 New York Comic Con, and the official poster was also revelead. In October 2023, a viral marketing website called "Monarch Unlocked" was created for the series that featured some Monarch computer private files.

## Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 85% based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 7.05/10. The site's consensus reads, "With performances by father-son duo Kurt and Wyatt Russell that work a charm, *Monarch* adds a welcome wrinkle to the Godzilla legacy by honing its monstrous scope to a very human level." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 69 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".