If you thought that the disappointing returns for Godzilla: King of Monsters were going to slow Legendary, the company behind the MonsterVerse, down, you were wrong. We’ve obviously got Godzilla vs. Kong landing in March, but the studio has also inked a deal with Netflix to deliver a new King Kong animated series set in the universe. The show will focus on a group of shipwrecked explorers who discover Skull Island and its population of giant monsters, including King Kong himself.
There aren’t too many details on the show’s story other than it seems to be a prequel to Godzilla vs. Kong since in that film King Kong is removed from Skull Island. The series is said to be in an anime style of animation, a trend that Netflix leans hard into with its adult-oriented animated shows. In fact, the streamer is once again leaning on Powerhouse Animation, who is responsible for its successful Castlevania series and the newer Blood of Zeus. Brian Duffield (Underwater, The Babysitter) and Jacob Robinson will executive produce the show, with Duffield also serving as the series’s writer.
On top of the Skull Island / King Kong animated series, Legendary is also bringing a new Tomb Raider cartoon to Netflix. The series will also be in anime style but, oddly, will not be connected to the Alicia Vikander-starring films. Instead, it will pick up after the rebooted video game trilogy occurred, following that Lara instead. This is despite the fact that the studio just announced that it had landed a new director/writer for the upcoming sequel to the Tomb Raider film. The series will be written by Tasha Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Red Sonja), who will executive produce alongside Dmitri M. Johnson (Sonic the Hedgehog), Stephan Bugaj, Howard Bliss, and Jacob Robinson. There isn’t any word on what animation studio Netflix tapped for the show.
The partnership between Netflix and Legendary is a bit odd given that the MonsterVerse movies are release by WarnerMedia and all reside on HBO Max. That splits the universe up onto multiple subscription platforms, making it a bit more costly for those who want to follow along to do so. However, Legendary does control the property and can bring the show wherever it wants. Netflix probably made the better deal, or maybe Legendary is still upset over WarnerMedia’s decision to release its films in theaters and streaming on the same day. That decision was not cleared with any other studios and upset Legendary to the point of possible legal action for a period. Currently, the Tomb Raider film isn’t available to stream anywhere outside of a rental, but maybe it will come to Netflix as well.
It’s sure to be a while before we know a release date for either show.
