Both Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell have both built solid acting resumes, the former especially thanks to movies like The Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and The Hateful Eight. However, up until recently, the two of them had never acted in the same project. That changes on Friday with the release of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. The latest entry in the MonsterVerse canon sees the father/son duo playing the same character in different time periods, and director Matt Shakman reflected to CinemaBlend on how “incredible” it was directing the Russells for the TV show. As a bonus, he threw in a Snake Plissken namedrop.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Shakman ahead of Monarch’s first two episodes premiering to Apple TV+ subscribers, both of which he helmed. So naturally I had to get his thoughts on directing both of the Russells, and here’s how he described the experience:
Incredible! I'm a huge fan of Kurt Russell, too. I mean, his movies are some of my favorites. The Thing, that's one of my all time favorites. To spend quality time with him, but also to work with him, and Wyatt, who’s an amazing actor, who I also love. And they're very different actors. They approach their craft differently. They're from different generations, they have different approaches. But seeing them both jump at this chance to create one character together, such a special family project, really, for two actors. And I think they loved it. Having Kurt sit at the monitor and study and watch what Wyatt was doing so he could borrow and build on it. And then vice versa, having Wyatt there watching what Kurt was doing and trying to be like, ‘Oh, how do I bring a little Snake Plissken into this moment?’ That's exciting and fun for me just to be there as a bystander, let alone as a filmmaker.
While Monarch: Legacy of Monsters also features the return of John Goodman as the older Bill Randa from Kong: Skull Island (although Goodman did have one “concern” about reprising the role), Kurt and Wyatt Russell are unquestionably two of this show’s most well-known leads. Regarding the former, it’s understandable Matt Shakman geeked out seeing Kurt having grown up watching his movies, including 1986’s Escape from New York, where he first played Snake Plissken, followed by Escape from L.A. in 1996. But more importantly as far as Monarch was concerned, Shakman had a front row seat to seeing how differently Kurt and Wyatt approached bringing Lee Shaw to life, while at the same time studying each man studying what the other was doing to help inform their own performances.
Lee Shaw is an Army officer who has ties to to Monarch, the scientific organization that’s been studying the Titans since the conclusion of World War II. Wyatt Russell is playing the character in the 1950s, while Kurt Russell is playing him in the MonsterVerse’s post-Godzilla time period, when the public has learned that these giant creatures exists, and Shaw now has knowledge that threatens Monarch. Other members of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ cast include Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Anders Holm, Mari Yamamoto, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski.
Following Friday’s two-episode premiere on Apple TV+, the remainder of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ 10 episodes will release weekly. Don’t forget that the MonsterVerse will then pick back up with the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire on the 2024 movies calendar, while Matt Shakman is next turning his attention to Fantastic Four, one of the many upcoming Marvel movies.
