(Photo by Prime Video)
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT CITADEL
In an ambitious, global-spanning franchise run from producers Anthony and Joe Russo, RICHARD MADDEN and PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS are elite spies activated to save the world.Last week, Amazon Studios started to provide more information about the upcoming sci-fi spy drama Citadel. It was created by Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of Captain America and The Avengers, and intends to be more than just a spy show with action, amnesia, emotional agony, and a global stage; it wants to make that stage a crucial part of the series and its worldwide spinoff programs. Nevertheless, as the teaser unveiled on Monday suggests, it all starts off very intimately — or, at least, as intimately as one may manage while being fired upon by hostile agents.
Despite the video, the mission goals are still in the future, so let's look at the information we have so far concerning Citadel.
WHAT’S CITADEL ABOUT?
Citadel was an independent intelligence service committed to the safety and security of all people everywhere. It owed allegiance to no nation on Earth. It was destroyed by the strong organization known as Manticore eight years prior to the start of the series (and a traitorous agent, as the trailer reveals). Two agents underwent memory wipes at the time of Citadel's collapse and created new cover identities, appearing to be protected from any additional Manticore activity. Nevertheless, one of those former agents, Mason Kane (Richard Madden), agrees to help stop Manticore from attaining its goal of controlling the world after running into an old friend from Citadel. He must also revive Nadia Sinh, another agent of the Citadel, in order to succeed (Priyanka Chopra Jonas).
The two must then travel the globe to halt the syndicate while putting together their past lives as Citadel operatives and navigating "a relationship founded on secrets, deception, and a dangerous-yet-undying love," according to Amazon Studios.
WHERE DOES CITADEL TAKE PLACE?
The show features both beautiful scenery and cutting-edge toys. According to a recent Vanity Fair piece on the show, filming took place in cities like Atlanta, London, Morocco, and Spain to adequately depict the scale of a covert spy war. At a press conference to support the trailer debut, Joe Russo disclosed that Miami was also on the schedule.
Traveling the world is "part of the excitement," he continued. Valencia is thrilling, and you'll visit every country in the world, too.
The program's action scenes, which the producer promised would match "cinematic examinations" of action set pieces, are, of course, beautifully framed by the views.
"We want to be 100 percent both," Madden continued. "Sometimes, we see shows that are 80 percent drama and 20 percent action, or vice versa.
Anthony Russo believes that the series' global scope is a major factor in its appeal since it takes use of two current trends: travelogues and interconnected fictional universes (more on both later).
He also hinted that the technology is "extremely forward-thinking," with an investigation into "complex tools and systems" that enable Citadel agents to perform tasks that ordinary individuals are unable to.
WHO STARS IN CITADEL?
The co-leads of the series, Madden and Chopra Jonas, play Kane and Sinh, and the Russos made it plain in Vanity Fair that the production worked hard to make sure they maintained parity and a competitive edge throughout the season.
Sinh is icy and steely, but Kane has a James Bond air about him. Yet, Kane must deal with the fact that Kyle Conroy, his more reserved cover persona, is unaware of Kane or his past as a spy. The Conroy persona is hapless as a result of the mindwipe, as showrunner David Weil stated, and is "living with a wife and daughter" — at least until he is reactivated.
They are both the same person, but each enables for distinct elements to manifest, according to Madden. "One has wounds from trauma. The opposite is true.
Furthermore, Chopra Jonas stated that the character "carries a lot of baggage, and she has to navigate thick waters," despite the fact that the trailer and publicity materials focus more on Sinh's smoother spy persona.
She said, "She has to maintain her composure because of the burdens she endures. Every decision is under immense strain. She does, however, have a "badass" spy persona who "comes from a place of trusting her body."
The trailer makes reference to the pair's past, which will be further developed over the season.
During the press conference, Joe Russo applauded the two performers for "playing multiple versions of themselves." The work is a tightrope since there are "many personas contending with a crisis of personality; old personalities come into conflict with their new personalities" inside one body.
The jobs involve "the highest degree of difficulty" on both the physical and emotional aspects, Anthony Russo remarked.
(Photo by Prime Video)
Amazon Studios provided the following character descriptions:
Richard Madden is “Mason Kane,” a highly skilled Tier-One agent for Citadel. After the fall of Citadel at the hands of Manticore, Kane narrowly escapes by having his memory wiped. When a trusted colleague from his past resurfaces with news of Manticore’s new deadly plot, Mason sets off to find his former partner, Nadia Sinh, to stop the nefarious spy agency.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays “Nadia Sinh,” an elite spy for Citadel, who is also a part of the Tier-One program alongside her former partner Mason Kane. When Kane reconnects with Sinh eight years after the fall of Citadel, the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore.
In the role of "Bernard Orlick," played by Stanley Tucci (seen above), the Citadel has created mechanisms and cutting-edge technologies to assure its global dominance and to overthrow terrorist groups and corrupt state governments. Later in life, Kane and Orlick became close, and they developed a father-son relationship.
Lesley Manville, who is portrayed by Dahlia Archer, the British Ambassador to the United States, may have other allegiances. Her high level of skill and ambition make her a formidable ally as well as a formidable adversary.
Together with the previously unnamed actors, the show also stars Osy Ikhile as Carter Spence, Ashleigh Cummings as Abby Conroy, Roland Mller as Anders and Davik Silje, Caoilinn Springall as Hendrix Conroy, and others.
Manville's Archer is the clear antagonist of the story, yet the motivations behind her actions are part of the puzzle Sinh and Kane must solve. Tucci's Orlick is the former Citadel employee who asks for Kane/assistance. Conroy's
The two characters' descriptions, of course, are merely what we currently know about them. Every persona has some degree of duality, said Chopra Jonas. Don't take what you see at face value.
Joe Russo said, "Spies trade in lies, death, and deception. "[The cast] must include both characters who deal in those things and people who have no connections to either that world or their current life. It's a challenging concept for actors to portray.
Weil stated, "We all put on masks in our lives. It's exciting to see characters who represent that, always.
