Following the success of Godzilla vs Kong on HBO Max last summer, Apple Plus has announced that it has greenlit a new live-action series (from Legendary) set in Godzilla’s Monsterverse! It is being helmed by Chris Black (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Matt Fraction (writer of the Hawkeye run that was the basis for the recent Disney Plus series). Details are still coming out about the project, but here’s everything we know so far.
What will the ‘Godzilla’ series be about?
Following the events of Godzilla vs Kong, (though it’s unclear how far after those events the series will be), the new untitled show is going to feature Godzilla and some of his surviving fellow titans, along with a new human family caught up in the action. According to Apple (via Variety), the new family at the heart of the show is going to have a deep, mysterious connection to Monarch (the shadowy organization that has been studying the titans while also trying to hide them from the general public.)
It will be interesting to see how the series juggles the human elements alongside the monster kaiju battles. In the past, audiences have considered the human storylines the weakest part of the ever-evolving franchise, and most consider them a distraction from the main events (read: more monster fights). However, we do not know yet which kaiju, aside from, presumably, Godzilla, will be making an appearance on the show.
Will it be good?
Since Matt Fraction is involved, that inspires a lot of confidence—considering his runs of legacy series like Hawkeye, and even his more independent stuff like Sex Criminals (which he did in collaboration with Chip Zdarsky, and is extremely good and hilarious) were excellent. He’s especially skilled at crafting emotionally grounded, engaging, human storylines. So, hopefully, the balance between cool fights and a human story that draws us in will be achieved.
Black and Fraction will also be serving as executive producers, with Black as showrunner. Other executive producers include Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell of Safehouse Pictures, along with Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita of Toho Co. Ltd. Toho is the owner of the Godzilla character and has licensed the rights to Legendary for the show.
Who is in it?
According to Deadline, the series has cast Anna Sawai (Pachinko), Ren Watabe (461 Days of Bento), Kiersey Clemons (Hearts Beat Loud), Joe Tippett (Mare of Easttown) and Elisa Lasowski (Versailles) as several of its lead characters.
Anna Sawai will be playing Cate, a former school teacher and survivor of “G-Day” who travels to Japan to settle her family’s affairs. Instead she discovers a secret that leads her on the path to hunting for more answers. Ren Watabe is Kentaro, a curious young man who is on a quest to learn more about his mysterious father. Are they both somehow connected to Monarch? Do they share a family secret? Only time will tell!
Meanwhile, Kiersey Clemons will be playing a roguish American ex-pat named May, while Joe Tippett plays an office drone named Tim—who fantasizes about being a secret agent out in the field. Elisa Lasowski will be playing Duvall, an expert field operative who is tasked with keeping Tim out of trouble as they try to meet the needs of their organization.
While this could all play out in several different directions, it does feel as if the show is already dropping significant clues about our lead characters and their arcs. Will Cate and Kentaro team up? And will they be at odds with May, Tim, and Duvall as they learn more about their families’ pasts with Monarch? And which titans will Godzilla be up against? Stay tuned for more updates!
(via: Variety, featured image: Warner Bros.)
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