Naman Shrestha
Based on the fictional monster Godzilla by Toho Co., Ltd., Apple TV+’s ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ is a sci-fi action-adventure series that follows the events after the intense battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs that made people realize that monsters do exist in real life. The plot focuses on two siblings who try to follow in their father’s footsteps and find out if their family has anything to do with the secretive organization, Monarch. As they follow the trail of clues, the siblings find themselves beside Army officer Lee Shaw.
Spanning three generations, the action-packed drama unpacks some deeply buried secrets of the past and how some significant events can shape the rest of one’s life. Created by Chris Black, the monster series features some big names in the industry, including Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, and Ren Watabe. As the story unfolds in different timelines, in different places, both scenic and ruined, the viewers are likely to have some questions about the actual shooting locations.
Where is Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Filmed?
‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ is filmed in British Columbia, Hawaii, and Japan, especially in Metro Vancouver, Thompson-Nicola, and Tokyo. As per reports, production for the debut season of the action-adventure series got underway in late June 2022 and wrapped up after almost six months of intense shooting, in December of the same year.
Metro Vancouver, British Columbia
The metropolitan area of Metro Vancouver AKA Greater Vancouver serves as one of the primary production locations of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.’ Doubling as San Francisco, downtown Vancouver’s locales feature quite heavily through each episode of the sci-fi series. For instance, the filming unit reportedly builds a refugee camp set on an empty lot near the north end of the Granville Bridge. Apart from that, several important sequences are also lensed in Ladner, a suburb of Vancouver, and the docks in Steveston, both of which are transformed into 1950s Philippines.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District, British Columbia
The filming unit of ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ also traveled northeast of Metro Vancouver to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. While Cache Creek and Walhachin were turned into a film set during the production process, the cast and crew were spotted recording pivotal sequences in the area near the McAbee Fossil Beds, which is situated east of Cache Creek, in August 2022.
In a statement, Terri Hadwin, the TNRD film commissioner stated, “The unique locations and diverse scenery of the Thompson-Nicola region provide unmatched opportunities for filming, and the TNFC looks forward to supporting many more film productions to come.” She elaborated on the production team’s time in the region, “The crew was here for three weeks in total, including prep time, filming, and wrapping. We take up almost all of episode three, so that was a pretty big chunk of time spent on this TV series in our area.”
Hawaii
Reports suggest that the island state of Hawaii in the Western US also serves as one of the key production locations for ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.’ Also known as the Paradise of the Pacific, Hawaii makes for an ideal filming site not just due to its perfect weather and scenic landscapes but also because of its technical and creative expertise.
Tokyo, Japan
Several pivotal scenes for ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ season 1 were also taped in Tokyo, Japan, for about a couple of weeks in August 2022. Situated in the northwest of Tokyo Bay, the capital of Japan has hosted the production of a number of films and TV shows over the years. Some of the notable ones include ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ ‘Shin Godzilla,’ ‘G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra,’ and ‘Alice in Borderland.’
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