Fans of the “Godzilla” film series now get an exclusive look behind the scenes of the most recent chapter in the film series courtesy of ET.
It has been 69 years since Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya’s Godzilla changed cinema forever when it first graced the big screen, and to celebrate, Entertainment Tonight is bringing fans exclusively behind the scenes of the latest chapter in the monster’s story — the Apple TV+ original upcoming series, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Godzilla was directed by Honda, and Tsuburaya was the master of special effects.
Legacy of Monsters follows two siblings who are following in their father’s footsteps in order to uncover their family’s connection to the covert organization known as Monarch. In the aftermath of the battle between Godzilla and the Titans, San Francisco was leveled, and the world was shocked with the revelation that monsters are real. The events of the story take place in the 1950s and again fifty years later when Monarch is endangered by what Shaw knows. Clues lead them into the realm of monsters and finally down the rabbit hole to Officer Lee Shaw.
The gripping narrative, which takes place over the course of three generations, unearths long-lost truths and demonstrates how monumental, earth-shattering events may have a lasting impact on our lives.
Both Kurt and Wyatt Russell feature in the series, in which they portray the same character, Lee Shaw, but at different ages. Not only is this the second time that the father and son have appeared in a production together, but it’s also the second time that they’ve both portrayed the same part! In the film Soldier, which was released in 1998, Wyatt portrayed a younger version of the role that his father had played.
“We have been asked to be in the same movie, usually as father and son, but the idea of playing the same person had an artistic element to it that drew us to it,” Wyatt explains in ET’s exclusive peek behind the scenes. “Playing the same person had an artistic element to it that drew us to it.”
“My son, Wyatt and I, we’re playing the same person as we go from his period of time, back in the ’50s, to modern day,” according to Kurt.
“From the time I was a kid, there are certain characters, certain things that you’ve seen, that have an impact on you that stay with you,” according to Kurt. “And Godzilla was one of them.”
The first two episodes of Monarch were directed by Matt Shakman, who also acts as an executive producer for the show with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell from Safehouse Pictures, Andy Goddard, Brad Van Arragon, and Andrew Colville. Chris Black and Matt Fraction co-developed and executive produced the show, and they are also the show’s creators and executive producers. Toho Company, Ltd., the company that owns the Godzilla character, is represented by Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita in their capacity as executive producers.
The Russells feature with Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, and Elisa Lasowski, all of whom give their thoughts on the various shooting locales the group got to explore while filming for the exciting new series. The Russells also star alongside Joe Tippett and Anders Holm. John Goodman, who appeared in Kong: Skull Island (2017), will also make a cameo appearance in this film and will reprise the character he played in that film.
Wyatt cries out in amazement, “This is the pinnacle of entertainment!” “There is a lot of action and adrenaline in it, and all of these creatures are rather gruesome. I’ll vouch for that!”
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters will have its world debut on Apple TV+ on November 17, with the first two episodes. Following that, one new episode will be released each week until January 12, with the last episode airing on January 12.