Apple TV+ expands MonsterVerse: new Lee Shaw prequel announced

Apple TV+ is widening the scope of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The streamer has confirmed a second season and also ordered the first MonsterVerse spinoff.

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The new prequel, still untitled, will center on a younger Lee Shaw during the Cold War, with Wyatt Russell returning to the part. More than that, it signals pretty clearly that Apple TV+ and Legendary Entertainment see Monarch: Legacy of Monsters as the foundation for a longer-running shared universe built around Godzilla, Kong, and Monarch under the companies’ existing multi-series deal.

The logic is easy to see once you look at the numbers. the MonsterVerse movies have pulled in more than $2.5 billion worldwide at the box office, and Apple TV+ says Monarch: Legacy of Monsters trended in 102 countries and became the platform’s most-watched series in 79 of them.

On streaming, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has clicked because it mixes giant-monster spectacle with conspiracy-heavy plotting and family drama, even if some viewers feel the human storylines can drag and slow the momentum. Apple TV+ and Legendary Entertainment still haven’t shared financial details, though, or said how tightly future series will connect to the films that are still on the way.

If you’re watching Monarch: Legacy of Monsters with the larger franchise in mind, this expansion looks like something to keep an eye on.

You can stream Monarch: Legacy of Monsters now on Apple TV+, while season 2 and the Lee Shaw prequel are still in development.

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