“Citadel” is an absolutely exceptional project in more ways than one. Producers Joe and Anthony Russo, the driving forces behind the series, have used their experience with the MCU (for which they directed the Avengers double Infinity War and Endgame, among others) to bring a similar concept to an applied spy series.
A whole “Citadel” universe has already been planned, in which, in addition to the main series that will start soon, there will be many local offshoots, who are in the same world and then have to cross paths again and again. Indian and Italian “Citadel” series are already in the works and more will follow. But when it comes to cost, the Russo brothers – who as directors of “The Gray Man” were already responsible for the most expensive Netflix movie of all time – have once again not cut it halfway…
Record-breaking cost explosion
According to various sources, the main series “Citadel” alone (of which the first season consists of only six episodes) has gobbled up a whopping $250 million – making “Citadel” the second most expensive series of all time after another Amazon production. Only “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” was even more expensive with a production budget of no less than $ 462 million (although a lot of money was spent on sets and props here, which will then be used at least for the further seasons ).
That the costs for “Citadel” have exploded so much is due to the extensive reshoots that, according to a report from the became necessary because Joe Russo and Josh Appelbaum (“Alias”, “Zoo”), who was actually slated to be the showrunner, had completely different ideas about how to advance the story chronologically. Applebaum eventually left production, his successor is now David Weil, known for the Amazon series “Hunters” and “Solos”.
In less than two months we will know whether the noise behind the scenes can also be seen in the end result. The above trailer now offers a quick first glimpse of “Citadel”.
That’s what “Citadel” is about
For a long time, the Citadel, an independent global spy agency, kept people around the world safe – until one day it was crushed by the powerful Manticore Syndicate. The Citadel agents have since died or, like former elite spies Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), have lost their memories.
Unaware of their past lives, the two have built new ones, but come to an abrupt end when Mason’s ex-colleague Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci) enlists his help to stop Manticore from building a new world order. But Mason can only handle this mammoth task with his powerful ex-partner Nadia. Thus begins a life-threatening mission around the world for both of them, in which they also have to face their own past.
Citadel will launch on April 28, 2023 Amazon Prime video. At the start there are two episodes, then the other four episodes of the first season follow weekly on Fridays.