Apple TV+’s “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” premieres globally this Friday, November 17th. A head of the premiere I had the opportunity to speak with Matt Shakman who served as an executive producer and director for the series.  

The series starts off after the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco, and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues led them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), 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. 

Matt said, “and it was clear from when I read the first episode that this was a complicated, multi-generational human, drama, and mystery story.” Without giving any spoilers, you definitely get a different perspective to what we are used to when it comes to anything involving Godzilla and the kaiju. 
 
The series takes us on a journey of questioning what does it means for us to operate for the greater good of humanity. Throughout the series you see how decisions made in the past have affected the future of humanity. “The idea of the great good is such a wonderful theme. And then you must ask yourself, what is the greater good?”, stated Shakman. 

In the movies we are used to praising Godzilla for defending humanity in the time of crisis. But in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters we are presented with a what if his existence and those of the Kaiju are now part of our daily life. Matt said,” Godzilla is good if he is standing between you and a scary kaiju that wants to destroy everything. But he is bad if you are on the San Francisco bridge, and he is walking through it.” He further explains that the best drama series come from viewers having different opinions on what the subject matter is and the actions of the characters.  

Those monsters are the central theme to the story Matt further described the series as telling a humanistic story.