Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters Season 2 Gets Cautious Update From Godzilla Show Director

The director of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has addressed the possibility of the show getting another season. The Apple TV+ show takes place in the Monsterverse, which is the multimedia franchise that includes the movies Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla vs. Kong. Starring Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Elisa Lasowski, Wyatt Russell, and Kurt Russell, the show takes place across multiple timelines (with both Russells playing the same character at different ages), and explores the myriad of ways that the secretive monster-studying organization Monarch has affected people and monsters throughout time.

Inverse recently sat down for an interview with director Matt Shakman, where they broached the topic of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters season 2. Shakman shied away from saying anything about the future of the show, preferring to focus on the season 1 release. However, he cryptically added, “it’s definitely a part of this MonsterVerse.” Read his full quote below:

I can’t speak about future plans for Monarch just because we’re so excited about launching our first season. But it’s definitely a part of this Monsterverse and we were excited about that opportunity.

Could Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Season 2 Happen?

As Shakman has revealed, it remains to be seen if Monarch: Legacy of Monsters gets a follow-up season. The Monsterverse franchise is still relatively young, so there isn’t yet a precedent for whether its live-action shows will be ongoing or act as lightly interconnected miniseries like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s television branch. However, the fact that Netflix hasn’t renewed the franchise’s first television title – the animated show Skull Island – for season 2 could set a bad precedent.

It seems probable that Apple TV+ is also waiting to see how further episodes of Monarch season 1 perform and if they bring in large amounts of new subscribers. The show is something of an experiment for the streaming service, as it is the first big-budget blockbuster show of theirs to be linked to a major IP. The only comparably expensive show currently on the platform is For All Mankind, which has shown strong legs by lasting four seasons so far, but doesn’t come with the additional financial baggage of licensing.

Another possible issue would be complications around the return of the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cast. The Russells especially are in-demand actors, with Wyatt already having commitments to the MCU after debuting as U.S. Agent in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. However, it’s possible that their contracts could already involve a multiple-season commitment, in which case their return would not be a huge impediment to season 2.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters airs on Apple TV+ weekly on Fridays.