February 27th will mark the season 2 premiere of Apple’s Monarch Legacy of Monsters starring Anna Sawai and Kurt Russell.
The teaser released yesterday promises a new kaiju, larger than Godzilla or King Kong.
However, there was another low key announcement 4 weeks ago that Apple has a spinoff already in development.
Right now, the new show is simply known as ‘Untitled Young Lee Shaw Spin-Off’ – here’s a synopsis: “The spinoff series will follow the story of Colonel Lee Shaw, an American operative who in 1984 went on a secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War.”
Wyatt Russell, has consistently had excellent critical reviews, but his profile has been rising since his recent appearance as John Walker in Marvel’s Thunderbolts.
Curious to know if there are other Monsterverse fans here on the instance who would like to discuss.
Editing to add the following quote from the Hollywood Reporter coverage
“Viewers around the world haven’t been able to get enough of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ since its global debut, and we cannot wait to unleash the electrifying new stories that Joby and the entire cast and creative team have been working on,” said Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV. “With Joby at the helm, and alongside our terrific partners at Legendary, this new spinoff will kick off an epic Monsterverse expansion that brings audiences even closer to their favorite Titans, along with fantastic character-driven storytelling.”
I’m not familiar with the franchise, but I have been pretty impressed with Wyatt Russell. He was delightfully unlikeable in Falcon & the Winter Soldier.
I really liked Monarch: Legacy of Monsters for its effort to go further with the characters and the world building.
The creators understood the mission was to do Monsterverse stories that cannot be told in the runtimes of big cinematic experiences and make it an accessible introduction for new audiences.
The character storylines are driving the narrative, and the first season does a great job, for the uninitiated, of unveiling the classic elements of the Monsterverse personas, tropes and history. King Kong, Godzilla and King Kong and the other Japanese classics really rely on emotion as much as overwhelmingly huge beasts, so it makes a good deal of sense to build the franchise out through streaming.
I hadn’t seen Wyatt Russell before but was positively impressed. His is a much more likeable role in this show, and an interesting one as his father Kurt Russell plays the same character in the current era. Anna Sakai is very strong also.
I can see why those who are just fans of big monsters battling may be disappointed. The visual effects are cinematic quality as you’d expect of Apple, but they naturally do not get the proportion of screen time that they would in a cinematic feature.
A valid criticism is that the first season took a bit to find its groove or voice. There is perhaps more youthful angst and resentment than older fans will welcome in the first episodes of season one, and it takes time for the storylines in two time periods to come together. As well, it’s clear that some of the directors had different ideas and style.
Season 1 is on Apple TV now.
It’s worth a watch.
Yes, definitely recommend watching season one now.
Should also note that Dominique Tipper, who played Naomi Nagata in the Expanse, has a significant recurring role in the show.
Just spitballing here…
What about a spinoff with smaller monsters? Vampires, werewolves, poltergeists, etc??
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters does have smaller monsters, not all of which are juveniles.
It really does succeed in building out the lore in that way.
But they’re not at all the kind of typical European fantasy monsters you’re thinking of.
Speaking of monsters…
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman. Alternate fantasy where Dracula killed Van Helsing et al and took Queen Victoria as his bride. The British Empire is now teeming with the undead. Characters include Drs Moreau and Jekyll.
Drusilla from the Buffyverse shows up in 1,000 Monsters
Pride, Prejudice and Zombies remains a favourite of mine. The movie is still streaming on Amazon Prime.
