Amazon Prime Video’s Citadel was famously expensive. The Russo Bros. produced spy thriller cost $300 million for the six episodes. It was also quite poorly received by critics. Personally, I dug it the moment I figured out that it was basically a modern, massive budget Roger Moore 007 film.
Huge, silly, and played completely straight while not taking itself seriously. Viewed through that lens, it was fun.
Whatever the opinions, it did well enough to get a second season. It was renewed in March 2023, with Joe Russo announced to direct all the episodes in the season. Citadel is also getting a series of spin-offs set in the same universe, with settings being in the Italian Alps, India, Spain, and Mexico.
The first of these is Citadel: Diana, and a trailer for the spin-off just dropped. It stars rising Italian talent Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing).
Lorenzo Cervasio, Maurizio Lombardi, Julia Piaton, Thekla Reuten, Daniele Paoloni, Bernhard Schütz, and Filippo Nigro co-star.
The original told the story of Citadel, and intelligence agency that exists outside of the control of nation states. It often finds itself locking horns with its dark reflection, Manticore.
Citadel operatives Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh are presumed killed during a mission in Italy when they are ambushed by Manticore agents. Eight years later, Mason lives a quiet life as Kyle Conroy with his wife and daughter.
When Citadel agent Bernard Orlick learns that he is alive, and that Manticore agent Dahlia Archer is after a top-secret Citadel X case, Orlick abducts Kyle and his family and persuades him to help retrieve the case to keep its potentially world-altering data out of Manticore’s hands.
Cattleya (Gomorrah) is producing the series, which was filmed exclusively in Italy. Gina Gardini (ZeroZeroZero) is showrunner and executive produces with Riccardo Tozzi, Marco Chimenz, Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Ostot, Scott Nemes, and David Weil.
Arnaldo Catinari (Suburra: Blood on Rome) directs the series, and Alessandro Fabbri (1992) is head writer. Ilaria Bernardini, Laura Colella, Gianluca Bernardini, and Giordana Mari made up the writer’s room.