Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Gets a Spinoff Prequel Series Following Wyatt and Kurt Russell’s Young Lee Shaw

Apple TV has announced an expansion of Legendary’s Monsterverse with a brand new, untitled young Lee Shaw prequel with Marvel’s Thunderbolts star Wyatt Russell in its lead role.

The new show, which is a spinoff series of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, will be led by screenwriter and producer Joby Harold, who will serve as showrunner, as well as the lead on the entire Monsterverse franchise for the streamer. Harold is perhaps best known for his writing and producing work on Obi-Wan Kenobi, for which he was nominated for five Emmy awards, as well as his work on the John Wick franchise. Russell will also executive produce in addition to starring.

The show “will follow the story of Colonel Lee Shaw, an American operative who in 1984 went on a secret mission behind enemy lines in an attempt to stop the Soviets from unleashing a horrific new Titan big enough to destroy the U.S. and turn the tide of the Cold War,” according to the streamer, which calls the Monsterverse “an expansive cross-platform story universe centering around humanity’s battle to survive in a world facing a catastrophic new reality – the monsters of our myths and legends are real.”

As of now, the Monsterverse consists of five films: 2014’s Godzilla, 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire. The next film of the franchise Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, coming in 2027. The universe expanded to include the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters series in 2023.

“Viewers around the world haven’t been able to get enough of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ since its global debut, and we cannot wait to unleash the electrifying new stories that Joby and the entire cast and creative team have been working on,” Apple TV’s head of international development Morgan Wandell said in a statement. “With Joby at the helm, and alongside our terrific partners at Legendary, this new spinoff will kick off an epic Monsterverse expansion that brings audiences even closer to their favorite Titans along with fantastic character-driven storytelling.”

Showrunner Harold added, “I could not feel more privileged to be a part of building out this wildly iconic universe. Apple and Legendary have been exemplary partners throughout this process, and we will continue to bring these Titans of cinematic history to audiences with the reverence they deserve.”

The first season of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is now available to stream on Apple TV+, with the second season arriving on February 27, 2026.

Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.