With the first three episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters now streaming on Apple TV+, we recently caught up with executive producer Tory Tunnell to break down the season's biggest secret, the arrival of Titan X.
Tunnell walks us through what went behind the conception of the original MonsterVerse creation and how her arrival will affect our leads throughout the rest of the season, specifically Cate who will forge an unexpected connection with the Titan. Plus, she teases the respective journies of Young (Wyatt Russell) and Old Lee Shaw (Kurt Russell) and how it could set up the upcoming spinoff.
The new season features a main cast of Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett, Wyatt Russell, and Kurt Russell.
The first three episodes of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters are now available to stream on Apple TV+!
Watch our full interview below and/or keep scrolling to read the full transcription. Plus, remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more exclusive content!
ROHAN: What went behind the conception of Titan X? And its connection with Cate?
TORY: Yes, thank you for asking that. We always have so much fun as we're sort of building monsters, and here we had the opportunity to build a hero monster. And those early meetings are always wild, because we will start to look at things that actually exist on this planet, some of which I'm always shocked to discover. I feel like I'm a relatively educated person, but then, what that exists? Some of them are terribly, you know, off putting and sort of building on something that feels like it's from the real world, so that it feels not entirely fantasy. That's always a really important part of the equation of like, what does its skin feel like? How does it move? And also, how is it telling the story and reinforcing the thematic story of our show? You know, we're really chasing this season, this idea of hurt people, hurt people, and then, also, every choice has a consequence, and we start to really learn about this monster within that context, and really our characters are able to interact with it, and it helps inform their internal stories and their external stories.
ROHAN: The Lee Shaw storyline is so interesting, and it has a few more wild twists this season. When did you know that storyline would be heading in that direction and/or what would you like to tease about Kurt and Wyatt’s performances this season, especially with the challenges that await them?
TORY: The two of them have always done such a great job in telling the story of the same character, and they really get a kick out of that, both on screen and behind screen, sort of trying to marry those two things. How does someone become, you know, the fully formed, grown up that they'll become, and we both see, you know, a physical scar, but there's also emotional scars, and sort of seeing the graduation of that, and one of the things we wanted to do is, really, you know, knowing that we're going to be doing a spin off with with Young Lee Shaw, and knowing that, you know, there's a very sort of smaller period where you sort of get to meet those characters in the past tense before you have Keiko, you know, fall into Axis Mundi, and then Wyatt, the same. So, we really wanted to make sure that this season, we're able to really explore how a boy becomes a man and setting him up for his own adventure, but also really understanding, again, sort of those deep parts of who we are, why we are the way we are. What are the choices that we made that have contributed to the final product, and how do we let go? How do we both engage, and how do we let go? And that's part of the story that we're telling in a way that we hope will be really satisfying for audiences.
ROHAN: In the show's timeline, we're still about two years away from the events of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, how did you want to start planing the seeds for what happens in that movie and in Godzilla vs. Kong? Or, did you want to keep it independent of those storylines?
TORY: Yeah, I think part of the fun is the puzzle of figuring out how we fit into the landscape. How do we set up seeds that feel like they could grow and become story points in the movies that were made 5-10 years ago, two years ago, depending on where we are, and part of the gift of our two timelines is we have a lot of play in the past storyline and sort of setting up how Monarch came to be, and then, in the present day, we're always wanting to be something where it feels that we're creating an intentional universe, and we're taking, you know, the story of the features to come and making sure that they're all in sync, but also not repeating ourselves, so it doesn't feel like we're rehashing for the super fans that have already seen everything. How are we giving them more story that helps make it feel like the world's only getting bigger, not smaller?
Season one of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings looking to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead 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.
Season two picks up with the fate of Monarch — and the world — hanging in the balance. The dramatic saga reveals buried secrets that reunite our heroes (and villains) on Kong’s Skull Island, and a new, mysterious village where a mythical Titan rises from the sea. The ripple effects of the past make waves in the present day, blurring the bonds between family, friend and foe — all with the threat of a titan event on the horizon.