The King of the Monsters descends on the Big Apple. Godzilla will wreak havoc on this weekend’s New York Comic Con (NYCC) as the first installment ofMonarch: Legacy of Monstersis set to be screened for those in attendance, prior to its streaming release in November. The first episode,Aftermath,is helmed byWandaVision’sMatt Shakman, and the director talked to Steve Weintraub about the possibility of new Titans showing up on the Apple TV+ show. Shakman said in an interview withCollider:
“One of the great things about this was the chance to create new Titans, new monsters to add to the MonsterVerse. So, that’s a part of it, using folks that we know and love from before is a part of it. I don’t want to say too much so that you may be excited about what you see when you watch it.”
Hollywood icon Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt were hired to portray the series’ lead, Lee Shaw,at different points in the character’s life. But the Hollywood A-lister, whose eclectic credits include starring in everything from John Carpenter’sThe ThingtoTombstonetoGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,wasn’t always guaranteed to face off against Gojira, aka Godzilla, in the upcoming series — and nor was it always the plan for him to have his real-life son by his side. Shakman said in the same interview:
“Certainly, we discussed two different actors. I think that’s the usual approach to things. But we had this idea that Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell, who are often, I think, offered things as father and son, but I don’t think they’d ever been offered the same part to play in two different time periods. It just felt like, ‘What an amazing idea,’ and it’s so rare. I mean, two actors who are extraordinary on their own, two actors who bear an uncanny resemblance to each other because they’re father and son playing the same part, just felt like an idea that we had to run wholeheartedly at, and they were excited to do it.”
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Everything We Know So Far
Discover the enigmatic world of the MonsterVerse with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. A complex blend of mystery, history, and colossal creatures awaits.
Kurt Russell Stars in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
Monarch: Legacy of Monstersserves as a direct sequel toGodzilla(2014), and the new Apple TV+ series takes place in Legendary Pictures' vaunted MonsterVerse, which includes the feature filmsKong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters(2019),Godzilla vs. Kongand the upcomingGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Kaiju movies rely heavily on their unique, giant monsters, but adding actors with the caliber ofKurt Russelland Wyatt Russell to portray the human protagonists creates another level of depth to these beloved “Giant Monster Movies.” Director Matt Shakman spoke about Russell and Wyatt’s character Lee Shaw in the same interview:
“It’s such a unique fit because Kurt Russell stars in all the movies I love, and since I was a kid, I’ve been watching him on screen. The idea of Kurt Russell plus Godzilla just feels absolutely, 100% right. He occupies the same awesome space. Then the fact that Wyatt could work so beautifully as the young version of that same character, it just was serendipity, you know, things that we couldn’t have planned that the fates made possible for us.”
Shakman said in the same discussion with Collider:
“You want to say, ‘Okay, well, we didn’t imagine that it was Kurt Russell when it was first written.' Now, it’s Kurt Russell, which is amazing. ‘How does this character…?’ You know, because great actors and great characters kind of merge, and they find a place in the middle where you’re pulling all the things that make that person awesome as a performer, and you try to move them together. It’s fun because I think Wyatt is a great actor, but he’s a different kind of actor than his dad, and they have a different approach. They come from different schools of acting in a way, but they enjoyed creating this character together.”
The first two episodes ofMonarch: Legacy of Monsters, both of which are directed by Shakman, drop on Apple TV+ Friday, November 17. In addition to Kurt and Wyatt Russell, John Goodman also stars, and he reprises his role of Bill Randa fromKong: Skull Island. Anders Holm is slated to portray the young version of Randa, while Kiersey Clemons and Anna Sawai will appear during the 10-episode streaming saga.
