It has been claimed by Variety that works on the Italian adaptation of the Russo Brothers’ international spy thriller series Citadel have commenced in Italy. Matilda De Angelis, a rising celebrity in Italy, stars in the series. Arnaldo Catinari (Suburra: Blood on Rome), who is also serving as the film’s chief writer, is behind the helm, while Alessandro Fabbri (1994, The Trial) is responsible for the script. Citadel, conceived by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo and Patrick Moran, is a massive international spy thriller franchise with the main series taking place in the United States and local offshoot chapters taking place in Italy, India, and Mexico. Cattleya, a well-known Italian production company, is behind the local production.
They are responsible for movies like Gomorrah and the forthcoming Spaghetti Western series Django. The Italian series is characterised as “a spy thriller with elements of action, adventure, and fantasy” by Cattleya president and founder Riccardo Tozzi. The genre is completely new to Italy and Cattleya, he continued. Unique in terms of both style and content, it yet fits well with the interesting Citadel canon. The Citadel Italian production is the first of its kind in the franchise’s history. Amazon Studios’ Nicole Morganti is “thrilled for Italy to lead the charge as the first local original in this ambitious series from AGBO,” as she put it.
Recent work by the Russo Brothers included the spy thriller The Gray Man, which featured the likes of Dhanush K. Raja in addition to Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling, and Ana De Armas and was favourably appreciated by audiences. The global expansion of the Citadel franchise model has undoubtedly opened new channels for collaborating with experts from all corners of the earth. In addition to the previously mentioned Tozzi, Marco Chimenz, Giovanni Stabilini, Gina Gardini, and Amazon Studios, all local shows set in the Citadel world will be supervised by AGBO’s Russos, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Ostot, Scott Nemes, and David Weil. Midnight Radio is executive produced by Josh Applebaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico, Matrix 4), Richard Madden (Bodyguard, Game of Thrones), and Stanley Tucci will star in the inaugural mothership (The Hunger Games saga). Citadel is being adapted into a number of other languages and cultures throughout the world, with Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. of India tasked with creating their country’s version (The Family Man). Although no specific date has been announced, the international spy thriller will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories across the world.