The Monsterverse series has been known to be kept quiet by Legendary until they are ready to show it off. The same is true for future Monsterverse installments such as the animated Netflix series Skull Island and the upcoming Apple TV series MONARCH: Legacy of Monsters. However, an official poster and first trailer for Skull Island has just dropped and there is reason to believe season 2 of MONARCH has already been given the green light.
Skull Island Revealed:
First announced back in 2021, Skull Island had remained elusive until now. We got our first look with the image of Kong's footprint last year and nothing more. The show was even brought into question many times because of how this project was kept quiet. With the show now fully revealed with a poster, a trailer, AND a release date not only can we put these fears aside, but we only have to wait a little less than a month to watch the show.
Tons of monsters ranging from old to new will be present in the animated series including the Skull-Crawler, which was first introduced in Kong: Skull Island. The description of the show's plot goes as followed:
"Skull Island" takes viewers on a thrilling adventure as a group of kind-hearted explorers rescues Annie from the ocean, unaware of their act of heroism will lead them to the treacherous Skull Island. This enigmatic place is home to bizarre creatures and terrifying monsters, including the mighty titan himself, Kong.
Nicolas Cantu will be voicing the main character, Charlie, along with Mae Whitman as Annie, Darren Barnett as Mike, Benjamin Bratt as Cap, and Betty Gilpin as Irene. Animation was done by studio Powerhouse Animation who are known for their other two Netflix animated shows Castlevania and Blood of Zeus. Brian Duffield (known for Cocaine Bear and Love and Monsters) created, written, and executive produced Skull Island along with Thomas Tull, Jacob Robinson, Brad Graeber, and Jen Chambers.
Now knowing Skull Island will premier on Netflix on June 22, waiting for the show is actually much more tolerable as it is only a short wait. Animation looks great. It is action packed. I'm just hoping on how this show will turn out.
It is becoming more noticeable that the kaiju genre is venturing into the realm of animation. Godzilla has already been there twice with the Polygon trilogy and Godzilla: Singular Point, there is Pacific Rim: The Black that turned out really well, Gamera has one coming up later this year with Gamera: Rebirth, and Ultraman is finishing up its third season and a new Netflix adaptation is currently in the works. Thus far, the genre in anime has had ups and downs, but Skull Island is looking to be pretty good and it has me pretty excited.
Season 2 of MONARCH Already Given The Green Light:
This information is coming from the Writers Guild website and was stumbled upon by KdM. On the website, you can search for any name of a screenwriter. If you search for the name Chris Black you will find under the section "Television Series Employment History" he is attached to MONARCH: Legacy of Monsters as an executive producer and showrunner for two seasons. Included with that, it dates 2023-2025. This means by 2025 the latest, we should see season two of this series released on Apple TV+ already.
Considering we have not seen anything yet for the first season of MONARCH, it tells me that Apple has a lot of confidence in this show and it makes me wonder what direction Legendary Entertainment has planned for the Monsterverse that requires this show to get a second season. It is apparent this show is supposed to have some connection with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and that movie releases March 2024. Will the show continue where season one ends or will it do a time skip? Will the second season be connected to another movie we don't know about yet?
What we do know about the show is that this a live-action Godzilla series that takes place right after the events of Godzilla (2014). The story is centered around a family that suspects one of their own members to be a part of the secret organization called Monarch, whose job is to research and contain these monsters. At this point in time, however, Monarch is no longer a secret organization since the world now knows about the existence of monsters like Godzilla. Apparently, we will see plenty of Godzilla and other monsters. It is going back to that more grounded and realistic approach much like Godzilla (2014) did based on the set photos. The only big names on the show are Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell, who are rumored to play a young and old version of the same character.
Until we see a preview of how this show is going to look we don't have any idea as to what Legendary has in mind not just for MONARCH, but for the Monsterverse, in general. Right now, the road map that Legendary has planned is still vague. For all we know, they could be trying to set up an "EndGame" or "Destroy All Monsters" type event and season two might try to steer the Monsterverse towards that direction. Let's wait and see how season one turns out.
What are your thoughts on Skull Island finally getting revealed and MONARCH already planned for a second season? Will you be watching Skull Island on June 22? Do you think MONARCH will do good enough to get a second season? Leave a comment in the comments section of your thoughts on this. Make sure to follow me on Facebook, Minds, MeWe, Gab, and TRUTH Social to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions.