The enduring appeal of Godzilla is undeniable. 70 years after the first Godzilla movie was released in 1954, people all over the world still can’t get enough of these big monsters. With the latest cinematic adaptation of big monsters, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is raking monstrous box office with $367+ million worldwide, Apple TV+ announced via its press release yesterday that it has renewed its Monsterverse series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters for a second season. Apple TV+ expands its partnership with Legendary Entertainment as they struck a new multi-series deal that includes multiple spinoff series based on the franchise.

The show was highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes (89%) and I quite enjoyed it too, though in my review, I said it could use more Godzillas. I sure hope that will be the case in S2 + subsequent seasons! Morgan Wandell, head of international development for Apple TV+. says this about the news:

“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ has left an indelible imprint on the hearts, minds, and imaginations of audiences around the world, led by the brilliance of Chris, Matt, Kurt, Wyatt, and the incredibly gifted talented cast and creative team… We couldn’t be more excited for viewers to not only have the chance to experience even more thrills in season two but to embark on epic, new journeys in the franchise, as we expand Legendary’s Monsterverse.”

The upcoming season of Monarch is executive produced by showrunners and co-creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction, along with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, Matt Shakman, Andrew Colville, and Jen Roskind. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character. Toho licensed the rights to Legendary for “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” as a natural byproduct of their long-term relationship with the film franchise. Not sure yet which cast members will be returning for Season 2, which includes Kurt Russel, Wyatt Russel, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Anders Holm, John Goodman, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski. Interesting to note that Anna Sawai and Takehiro Hira are in another major series I love, FX/HULU’s Shōgun, though they barely share a screen together in either one.

Ten years strong, Legendary’s Monsterverse is an expansive story universe of cross-platform experiences centering around humanity’s battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality – the monsters of our myths and legends are real. Beginning with the Godzilla film in 2014 and continuing through 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, and most recently the record-breaking Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the Monsterverse has accumulated over $2B at the global box office and expanded into the highly successful event series,

The one Godzilla movie I wish I could watch right now is Toho Studio’s Godzilla Minus One, directed by Takashi Yamazaki. which was released in theaters back in December 2023 but was yanked away in February. I thought it would get a re-release in March after it won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but no such luck. US fans might have to wait until the Summer or even Fall of this year for its Blu-ray and/or VOD release.

But hey, at least fans of Monstersverse won’t be left wanting more new Godzilla content anytime soon.

So are you excited about this news? What do you think of the first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters?

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