Apple Inks Deal for Godzilla-Inspired, Live Action Monsterverse Series

Image via Apple

21 JANUARY 2022 - They haven’t bought a studio, but Apple TV+ has made a monster deal for some established intellectual property. The Cupertino-streamer issued a press release Thursday announcing Apple’s expedition into the Monsterverse. That’s the name for the storytelling continuity set up between 2014’s Godzilla, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. The release has Apple TV+ announcing:

…a series order for a new original live-action series from Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise. Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the series explores one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.

If you’re wondering why Apple would go this way, I can think of close to two-billion reasons. From a storytelling side, there is - literally - a world of stuff to explore. From a business side, Apple says:

Monsterverse films have accumulated close to two billion dollars globally at the box office and is ever expanding with the latest iteration being a new anime series, “Skull Island.”

Legendary Television is onboard to produce, as is Toho - Godzilla’s studio home in Japan all the way back to the 1950s. Behind the scenes talent includes production people from “Star Trek: Enterprise” and the recent Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” If I had to stand in line for it, I would. Luckily, I won’t have to. Just get to sit on my couch and wait. The release says nothing about a timeframe for the untitled Monsterverse series.