One of the biggest media franchises of recent years is the Monsterverse, the string of American Godzilla and King Kong movies and TV shows which recently brought us Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. And, according to Apple TV Plus, more is on the way.
In late 2023, Apple released Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a new Monsterverse TV show which wove together family drama, conspiracy investigations into the Monarch organization and lots of big monster attacks. Clearly Monarch was fairly popular, because Apple has just renewed it... and not just for another season!
On Thursday, April 11, Apple confirmed that it had renewed Monarch: Legacy of Monsters for a second season, but also that it had made a deal with Legendary Entertainment (which creates Monsterverse movies and shows) for several more spin-offs in the franchise.
There's no word on what these brand-new shows are, but the wording of Apple's press release implies that they won't be tied to Legacy of Monsters. However with Godzilla x Kong throwing the world wide open, there are many more avenues Apple could pursue.
There's also no word on when these shows will come out, but there was a roughly 18-month gap between Monarch being ordered and coming out, so we may have to wait a while to hear more.
Godzilla and King Kong fans will likely be very happy with this news, as it means a lot more titan action. However this is less positive news for Netflix, which was foiled in similar monster franchise building plans recently.
A monster of a franchise
You see, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters was the second Monsterverse TV show after Skull Island, which came out in June 2023. This anime series, set on King Kong's home island, was an anime adventure about some unsuspecting children who get washed up and have to survive amid all the monsters.
Skull Island was lost in the Netflix release cycle, released with little fanfare as one of many anime shows at the time. The streamer's classic 'all-episodes-at-once' release model as opposed to other service's weekly drop cycle doesn't do its shows any favors either, and as a result Skull Island completely failed to light a monster-sized fire under fans despite decent reviews.
Since its release there's be no news on any renewal, and there are certainly no spin-offs planned, so it appears that Netflix's brief foray into the Monsterverse began and ended with Skull Island. While Skull Island viewers may not be losing sleep at this news (and if they need a sleep aid, the show itself is still streaming...), it's probably not what Netflix wanted.
The Monsterverse remains incredibly lucrative, with each of the five movies in the franchise making huge profits (including Godzilla x Kong, despite it only just having released in theaters at the time of writing). Audience appetite for monster stories is still evidently high, and as the movies focus more on the creatures themselves, the TV shows gain an increased importance as a way to explore human stories in these worlds.
But with Monarch: Legacy of Monsters carrying the Monsterverse TV torch instead of Skull Island, it means that Apple TV Plus, not Netflix, will get to be a part of this modern hit franchise.
That must be especially galling with Netflix's well-documented attempts to create a lasting media franchise akin to Harry Potter, Star Wars, Game of Thrones or the like. With sci-fi action-fest Rebel Moon getting blasted by critics, Stranger Things nearing its conclusion and The Witcher rapidly losing viewer interest as its main star drops out, Netflix could have done well to be a part of an expanding franchise like the Monsterverse.
This news probably won't be a huge surprise to Apple TV Plus subscribers, though, as the Apple-owned streamer has quickly become the go-to platform for quality blockbuster sci-fi shows. As fans already get excited for Foundation season 3 they can also enjoy the likes of Constellation, Silo, For All Mankind, See and Invasion. Soon, Dark Matter will join that list too.
