Apple TV+ has been killing it with their exclusive content lately. One of the most exciting upcoming releases is Legendary’s untitled live-action Godzilla series which was announced earlier this year. Now we know the first director who’ll be working on this monstrous series. Apple TV + announced that WandaVision’s Matthew Shakman will be directing the first two episodes of the series. The director will also serve as an executive producer on the project.
The series takes place in Legendary's MonsterVerse that has consisted of 2014’s Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Godzilla vs. Kong. The series takes place after the “thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the untitled Monsterverse series will explore one family's journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch.” Legendary Television is producing the project and will be executive produced by co-creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction. Black is also the showrunner for the series. Other executive producers include Safehouse Pictures’ Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell as well as Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita for Toho Co. Ltd..
Shakman has been a very acclaimed director in the television space in the last handful of years. He directed the entirety of Marvel Studios’ WandaVision which was one of the most critically acclaimed series of last year and Shakman received an Emmy nomination for Directing for a Limited Series. Shakman also directed the pilot for Hulu’s The Great where he received another Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. The director’s other notable credits include two episodes of Game of Thrones, Succession, The Boys, Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mad Men, and Fargo. Shakman is currently attached to direct the upcoming Star Trek sequel as well.
There is so much talent behind this project and Shakman’s involvement only adds to that. The director has worked on a wide range of shows with varying tones. Shakman has a great sense of character and scale, which is perfect for a show involving Godzilla. The weakest part of this universe has been the human characters so hopefully, Shakman can be a part of changing that narrative for this franchise. Legendary’s MonsterVerse felt like it was winding down before the release of Godzilla vs. Kong last year. However, the success of that epic film opened the universe up to exciting new projects like this upcoming series. Legendary is also working on a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, which recently found its star in Dan Stevens.
Until we get more news on this upcoming Apple TV+ series, like a pending release date, you can catch up on all of Legendary's MonsterVerse on HBO Max right now.