Composer Leopold Ross grew up watching Godzilla films and was a fan of the recent movies, such as Godzilla, King of the Monsters, Godzilla versus Kong, and Kong: Skull Island. Now, he’s thrilled to be one part of the massive MonsterVerse in Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.
Ross composed the music for the gripping new sci-fi drama, which hails from executive producer and showrunner Chris Black (Severance, Mad Men). The elaborate, action-packed series delivers an all-star cast featuring Kurt Russell (F9: The Fast Saga), Kiersey Clemons (Swarm), Wyatt Russell (Under the Banner of Heaven), Anders Holm (Inventing Anna), and many others.
Godzilla and sci-fi fans dig the premise: after the battle between Godzilla and the Titans, which revealed that monsters were real, one family attempts to uncover buried secrets and a mysterious legacy linking them to Monarch. The series takes place between 1952 and 2015, making it both a prequel and a sequel to Godzilla as well as Kong: Skull Island. Leopold Ross walked us through creating the music for the epic saga in this exclusive MovieWeb interview.
Crescendos and Everything In Between
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Cast
- Christopher Heyerdahl, Mari Yamamoto, Qyoko Kudo, Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell
- Main Genre
- Action
- Seasons
- 1
Leopold Ross’s career took off with the soundtrack for The Hughes Brothers’ The Book Of Eli, back in 2010. He’s since collaborated with directors like Michael Mann and Harmony Korine, and recently scored Dreamin’ Wild and the massive upcoming FX drama set Japan, Shogun. In Apple TV+’s continuation to the Godzilla franchise, he blends an orchestral score with the sound design of the monsters, further enhancing what fans experienced on the big screen. He was eager to dive into the project, but something happened early on that changed the course of his work.
“Honestly, I had a wave of adrenaline, excitement, and inspiration to create a new theme for the icon of the screen, Godzilla,” he said of his discussions with showrunner Chris Black about the direction of the show. “Everybody knows who Godzilla is. I was so excited to be able to put some music underneath him and the ideas just started flowing immediately.”
He very much took into consideration the importance of Godzilla and the MonsterVerse that preceded this outing, noting:
“We’re very aware that this is a franchise that has a huge fan base and that a lot of people care about. So, it was really a question of, ‘How do we stay true to the aesthetic of what the MonsterVerse is while also allowing ourselves enough space to carve our own niche?’ Honestly the answer was trial and error.”
Creating a Cohesive but Distinct Sound
Ross’s task was vast. Differentiating the show’s multiple time periods musically was challenging, as was connecting all the storylines sonically. He wanted the entire season to be a cohesive blend. Evoking emotions and amplifying various visual spectacles with music was vital to the process. Tune in, and you realize that the music is truly part of the story.
Ross revealed that in most cases, a composer typically receives the episodes in sequence. “I’m different to a lot of other composers in that I prefer to come on early in the process,” he shared. “I prefer to come on when they’re shooting, and basically have conversations with the directors or showrunners and get as much information on how they want the show to look and feel.”
He’d received written and visual material that wasn’t the actual footage ahead of time, then began writing ideas and sharing ideas with the team. “We can develop from there and start laying stuff into the into the show, but Monarch was slightly different in that they had to order the episodes in terms of the way that they did all the visual effects, which take a very long time. They were finishing episodes that had the least number of visual effects first. So, we actually worked slightly out of sequence.”
The Most Challenging Sequence
Ross’ work shines through throughout the series. However, there’s something to marvel in experiencing the full scale of the iconic Titans in the series:
“It was challenging scoring the Titans because the level of bombast and just pure sound coming from the foley, and the sound effects is huge. These are obviously gargantuan beasts, and they’re ripping down Golden Gate Bridge and s***, so you have to bob and weave as a composer and find your moments to kind of poke out and keep the momentum going. Then, obviously get out of the way because when Godzilla roars, you don’t want to be trying to play a little melody.”
He went on to say that it was important for Godzilla to take center stage. As for the road ahead, Ross is eager to keep expanding. He’s had a good year thus far, having also come off of Dear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur. “I want to do something completely different with each project,” he said. “It’s questioned [by me] in the same way if you were an artist, and you did a rap album, and then you did a jazz album. Some people would say, ‘Hey, what the hell are you doing?’ You know what I mean? You don’t really get that with composing. You can do whatever you want. And as long as it’s servicing the picture, people let you do it.”
That bodes well for season two, perhaps? Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is streaming on Apple TV+.
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