EnglishPrime-Video - Citadel : global press conference recap
By Mulder, Los Angeles, 28 february 2023
Citadel is an upcoming American science fiction drama television series created by Josh Appelbaum and Bryan Oh for Amazon Prime Video. Starring Richard Madden as Citadel agent Mason Kane and Priyanka Chopra as Citadel agent Nadia Singh, The Indian adaptation of the series, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu will be directed Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK and produced by Amazon Studios. The Italian series will be co-produced by Amazon Studios and Cattleya (Gomorra), part of ITV Studios. The six-episode first season will premiere on April 28, 2023, with its first two episodes and each Friday a new episode.
Series Stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, executive Producers Joe and Anthony Russo (The Russo Brothers) and Executive Producer/Series Showrunner David Weil have revealed February 28 the trailer for Citadel before it is released beginning march. Following the trailer reveal, all 5 talent have participated in a moderated press conference using questions that were shared by the press before this event.
Cara : Hi, everyone. I am so excited to be here for the global trailer launch event for Prime Video's exciting new series, Citadel. Here with me are the wonderful executive producers, Joe and Anthony Russo and David Weil. We are going to get into this. There's so much to talk about. But a couple quick notes off the top. If you guys haven't already seen the First Look photos that were released yesterday by Prime Video, there's a very special Easter egg in there. Give them another look if you haven't. Many of you have already found it, but just a reminder to give those photos another look. There's a fun little surprise in there. And also, gentle reminder, everything that you see and hear today is under embargo. Our favorite. Embargoed until tomorrow, March 1, at seven AM Pacific time. So, anyway, that's our housekeeping. I'm ready to kind of get into this. Like I said, there's so much to talk about. This is a first of its kind series. Legit global spanning. I would love to introduce our executive producers and kind of get into what is the origin story; how did we get here; how did you finagle this incredible production?
Joe Russo : All right. Yeah, I mean, this is, it is a really, by the way, thanks for joining us, everyone. This is a really unique television event and I think that's what excites Anthony and I the most about it. The concept was an idea that Jen Salke presented to us a few years ago. The notion of telling a story that could be interwoven throughout the world. It would have a flagship show and then regional shows. You know, written, produced and directed by regional talent that could interweave with the flagship show. And we thought that, one, that was such a novel idea for a narrative. And, two, an amazing way to create a really diverse global community of storytellers to tell a giant mosaic of a narrative together. And after our work on the Marvel films and spending so much time traveling the globe, this was an idea I think that was really exciting to Anthony and I and ignitable for us. And seemed like an incredible challenge.
Anthony Russo : I want to just put an emphasis on, like, Joe and I had never heard a premise like this before from, you know, it's a real credit to Jen Salke's vision for what Amazon was capable of. That she would bring us an idea, basically a model, for a show that was so ambitious and wide-ranging and so global in its nature. And this is something Joe and I've been working toward for many years now. As storytellers, we really love the engagement of the global film community. And so, it's incredible opportunity and we went to work trying to find the right story that could sort of fulfill that ambition and we've had amazing collaborators in order to find that.
Cara : Yeah. And quick note, we will get to the trailer, but I wanted to say, we wanted to set it up a little bit with these wonderful executives first. And then, one quick thing, too, please don't take any photos or screen shots, as much as you want to. We promise we're going to provide a beautiful high-res image after the discussion. Forgot to add that. David.
David Weil : Yes.
Cara : Can you take us through, set up like, the first season and what we're going to be able to get into in these six episodes?
David Weil : Absolutely. Yeah. Look, Citadel is a story of two top spies. There's Mason Kane, played by Richard Madden, There's Nadia Singh, played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas. And they are top spies in the most powerful spy organization you've never heard of: Citadel. And that's, of course, by design. And the day we meet them is the day that Citadel falls. It's brought down by this nefarious new spy syndicate called Manticore.
David Weil : We then cut eight years later. We pick up with Mason Kane, he's living this quiet life in Oregon with his wife and his daughter. And he has no memory of who he was or what his past was. Until one night, there's a gentlemen by the name Bernard Orlick, played by the one and only Stanley Tucci, who knocks at his door and needs his help to take down Manticore before they create a new world order. Mason discovers that Nadia's still alive and the two of them journey the world taking down Manticore and unraveling the very dangerous secrets of their past.
Cara : So well-put for all that happens, or all that I've heard happens.
David Weil : That's just the first episode. [laugh] There's a lot more.
Cara : So much going on. I mean, the high-stakes action, they're not underselling it with those words. Why are Priyanka and Richard perfect for these two characters? How did we get them here?
Joe Russo : I mean, we're incredibly fortunate. I mean, the cast is just exceptional in the show. And I think, you know, what Anthony and I really love, too, about this is the high-concept of it. That, you know, both Richard and Priyanka get to play multiple versions of themselves. And this notion that their memories have been erased allows them to create new characters who then have to rediscover who they were. And then, their new personalities come in conflict with their old personalities. And that, to us, that was the idea that I think that most excited us because I don't know that I've ever seen that before. Where you have multiple characters dealing with a crisis of personality and a crisis of conscience. And, you know, so, to have this cast, that also includes Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville, to be able to portray these complex characters is, you know. This show doesn't work without the sort of elegant powerhouse performances that they have all brought to the show.
Cara : Yeah. One thing I loved learning about is, David, I've heard, you have a title of Creative Spymaster. I would love to hear more about. I want to hear more about what that means, what you're in charge of. The threads, like, how you keep everything straight. 'Cause like you said, there's a lot going on here.
David Weil : There's a lot going on. I mean, what's so both beautiful and ambitious about this entire spy-verse, spy universe, that we're creating is that we're doing it in tandem with partners all around the world. We have announced the India series, the Italy series. And we get to work with these incredible writers, filmmakers, actors, producers, truly from all around the world, and build this entire story together. So, it becomes this tapestry told in different languages through different cultures, in a very authentic way. It's not just a Western point of view that we're viewing the story. But we really are doing something original. And really holding hands and building this at the same time with our fellow creators and producers. So, it's quite extraordinary.
Cara : Yeah, can you tease a little bit? You talk about locations. Can you tease kind of where we get to travel in the first six episodes?
David Weil : Oh, man, so many locations.
Joe Russo : Yeah. [laugh]
David Weil : I mean, we go to Spain, London. We go all over the world.
Joe Russo : Yeah, Miami. I mean, part of the fun of the show is this globetrotting aspect to it. It's also essential to the core concept of the show. You know, that we're going to be telling stories all over the world. And we have a production that just wrapped in Italy. We have another that's about to start in India. So, you know, you're going to travel to every corner of the world on Citadel.
Cara : Yeah. Did any of you have a particular, not to pick favorites, but any place you visited before that you hadn't?
Anthony Russo : We haven't been everywhere. That's a good thing. This show reminds us, for sure.
Joe Russo : I think Valencia is exciting. I mean, I think that's an exciting location we had not shot in before that offered some real, you know, gorgeous visuals for a climactic sequence in the series.
Cara : Yeah. One of the other elements I think that is really interesting is that this is brand new IP. This is, you know, original, it's completely unique. How does that impact or enhance how you're able to kind of tell a story and make it all your own?
Joe Russo : Yeah. I mean, I would also say like, that fact right there is another enormous credit to Amazon. That they are the type of company and they have the type of will and ambition to attempt something this large built on the backs of original IP. It's a very unusual combination. To take a swing like this with new material that nobody's familiar with before. But, of course, for all of us, that was also the big thrill of creating the story from scratch. And being able to go anywhere with it was thrilling. I know you can talk more about that.
David Weil : Yeah. And it gives you license to dream and it allows for the best idea to always win. You know, wherever it comes from, you're not, sort of, tied to necessarily source material. So, if the creators in Italy or India have an idea in the middle of the night and call us and say, hey what do you think about this for a character in your series? We can do it. You know, we can really try and build together in that way. So, it's very unique.
Joe Russo : And it's fun for audiences to discover a new story.
David Weil : Definitely.
Joe Russo : They have no idea where this is going.
Cara : Yeah. Can you tease a little bit, we're going to get to the trailer very shortly, but can you tease a little bit like the type of action here? 'Cause we're talking about spies, we're talking about international excellence. We knew you're all decorated action professionals, I would like to say.
David Weil : Yeah, I mean, it's very cutting edge. It's very modern storytelling. And, you know, true to the genre, there are some very, very large set pieces throughout the series. You know, I would argue competitive with the cinematic exploration. So, and that was the mission here was to bring large-scale spy storytelling to Amazon and to digital distribution. So, that's the exciting part of it for us is the scale of the action sequences and the ambition it took to execute those.
Anthony Russo : I said the technology we explore in the show is very forward-thinking. You know, it is grounded in a world that we all know and recognize, but as you peel back the layers to the unknown, part of the unknown is just this very sophisticated tools and systems that spies can use to do things most of us can’t.
Cara : Yeah. What is it about spy stories do you think? Like, we keep coming back to ‘em. There’s just something that so attractive about those worlds. And again, that you can reinvent and make a brand-new version of one.
David Weil : I mean, I think we all wear masks in our lives, right? There are many depths and dimensions and facets to each of us. And so, I think, to be able to see on screen characters who embody that spirit and sort of give you that wish fulfillment, is always exciting. I think this show allows the viewer to sort of step into the world of Citadel and feel like they, too, are an agent within it, a spy within it. So, yeah.
Cara : Very well said, a great tease. And I think it’s a great time for us to see what we’re talking about ‘cause I think that’ll, you know, we’ll have a ton more questions after that. Would you guys like to throw? Would guys you like to introduce it, what we’re about to see?
Joe Russo : Yeah, I mean, look, this is exciting for us. This is the world premiere of the trailer for season one of Citadel. I don’t think we want to say any more than that. This is a spy show after all.
Cara : Woohoo! Now we know what we’re talking about, right? Amazing. It’s exactly what has been teased. I’m so excited to welcome our wonderful series stars: Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden. Seeing it, first reactions? What do you think of the trailer now that you’ve seen it?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Well, thanks, Cara [phonetic]. Thank you everyone that’s been here.
Cara : I kind of saw it before. I won’t lie.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : This isn’t the first time I’ve seen it, but I love the trailer. What did you think of it?
Richard Madden : I think it’s electric. It just captures everything that we want the show to be and gets me so excited to share the rest of it ‘cause that’s just the smallest tease of what the whole show has to offer.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : You’re so much more articulate than I am.
Richard Madden : [laugh]
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : But yeah, I think the show has so many layers and complexities and there’s a word that we used from the beginning which was duality for every character. What you see is what you don’t get. Don’t believe what you see. Everything is just conceptually crazy. And it’s just so exciting to be able to share it with the world because it’s been a long time in the making because it’s so ambitious. And I’m very excited about it.
Cara : Yeah. Can you talk a little bit about who are Nadia and Mason?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Tell ‘em who Mason is, Richard.
Richard Madden : Mason’s a very complicated man to talk about.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Very complicated guy.
Richard Madden : I [laugh] don’t know where to start with. I mean, that’s what the joy of this has been, is being able to play these two very, very different characters, but both in the same body. And they are both the same man in lots of different ways, but each version of them, you pull out different aspects of kind of humanity and who we are as people. And one of them carries a lot of scars from the past and a lot of trauma. And the other one doesn’t carry any of that baggage. He just has a whole bunch of unknown to him, so we end up having these two very different characters. And that’s kind of what was exciting to explore about them is how much of your character traits are built into you, and how much are inherited through trauma and experience?
Cara : When you were prepping, did you focus just on one as you prepped, I’m sure, depending who was required on the day of filming whether you’re portraying one or the other? How did you kind of prep for each one?
Richard Madden : That’s a great question. It varied. And sometimes I couldn’t just focus on one of them because that’s what, you know, David did so beautifully with the script is create these things that I can use to juxtapose against each other. So what elements of each character gets pulled out at what point? And, you know, as we go on during the journey of the show, you get to see what elements are built into both of them. And they’re actually in you as a human being rather than just because of your experience in life. So it was a great challenge to kind of have both of those things and pull out at different times and mirror each of them when playing each character.
Cara : Yeah. And how about Miss Nadia? What is she about?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : You know, I thought she’d be really simple, but David [laugh]. No, I think, like Richard said, our characters have sides to them and their personalities. Nadia, I feel like, carries a lot of baggage. I feel like she has to navigate really thick waters, you know? She has to hold her head up high while her character’s changing, her life is changing all around her, but she has to stay centered because of the burdens that she carries. I think that that makes her just very juicy as a character for me to play because every choice that is made by her is burdened and laden by so much pressure. And she thrives in it, so it was really wonderful. I mean, Richard and I had a great time. I love working with him. We dance really well together. And this was just a really ambitious show. And I think if we didn’t have each other understanding, you know, what the other needed, this would have been hard to do.
Richard Madden : Absolutely. And keeping each other in check ‘cause sometimes you’re like, “Wait? What character am I now? . What do I know? What do I not know?”
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : “What is it? What did we do that time?” Because, yeah, the show is completely non-linear. So you’re kind of going back and forth, and we had to remind each other of the story. And we were like, “Wait, we did that in that scene.” And then, we’d bring David in. “David?” It was like a big jigsaw puzzle that, you know, we had to remember. And it was so much fun to do.
Cara : Yeah, I mean, it’s teased really well the action. Obviously, there’s intimate character development, but also heavy action. You’ve both done action sequences before. Can you talk a little bit about what these were like, and what you kind of brought to it? The physicality element that you enjoyed or?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Well, I have a scar on my forehead, I mean, on my eyebrow that you see. Yeah, that’s courtesy Citadel.
Richard Madden : [laugh] I think it looks cool.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : I know. I don’t even cover it anymore. But no, the stunts were amazing. I think Joe and Anthony brought the most incredible stunt team onto the show. I mean, obviously, with their repertoire. They’re behind me. It’s really weird in this turtleneck to turn around, but you know, they’re repertoire of work. They have worked with the best in the business. And we were really lucky to be able to work with people like that. Our stunt team was incredible. I really think Nadia’s character’s a bad ass, and she comes from a place of trusting her body, and, you know, her instincts. And I got to explore a lot of that with the stunts that we did. Every time I would read new pages, the stunts would just get bigger and bigger and bigger. [laugh] And it was amazing to be able to imagine that and then walk in the set and actually execute it. It was great.
Cara : Nice. Nice. It looks good from what we can see. [clears throat] How ‘bout for you?
Richard Madden : Yeah, there’s huge set pieces in this, and that’s something that’s amazing to be part of. And not only that, but I think oftentimes, we see shows that are 80 percent drama, 20 percent action or vice versa. And this show aimed to be 100 percent of both. And I think that’s what we’ve managed to pull off ‘cause in the middle of these huge sequences with explosions and cars blowing up and all of that that I don’t want to spoil for you, we have this really kind of intimate drama between these two characters and how they dance together. So, for me, that's what was so exciting about these huge action pieces was that they are infused with heart and drama and storytelling. We get to see a lot about these characters, how they physically interact, not just great action sequences but there's drama at the heart of each one of them.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Like the choices in the action pieces are made because of what their characters are feeling, and so there's a story sort of interwoven in all the stunts. And that was just very cool and new for me as well.
Cara : Yeah. Yeah.
Richard Madden : I wish I could tell you more about some of the sequences. [laugh] 'Cause I want to go into details about being on set that day with this huge thing happening. But you'll just have to watch.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : It was huge, though. That thing was really big.
Cara : Can you talk a little bit about watching Priyanka and Richard work? I'd love to hear kind of about, you know, of your creative behind the scenes and getting everything ready to go, but then actually seeing them.
Joe Russo : Yeah, it's amazing. I mean, we're really blessed with working with exceptional actors. Again, this is like spies, traffic and lies and deception and murder and betrayal. And, you know, so not only are they having to encapsulate characters who have spent a better part of their adult lives, you know, trafficking and those kinds of things, they're also playing people who have zero connection to that world, who are living a normal existence and have an emotional connection to what their current life is, and the current individuals in their lives. And when those two smash together, again, as complicated of an idea as I've heard for actors to play. So, David, if you want to talk a little bit about.
David Weil : They make us better. You know, it's like every day on set, they push us, I think, to be better storytellers, to ensure that there's as much, you know, realism in these characters and as much scope and scale in both the, you know, action storytelling as the emotional storytelling. So, it's a dream. Like, you know, AGBO and Joe and Anthony as producers, they create this energy on set that is just fully collaborative. So we all sort of get together. We read through scrips. We talk about ideas. It's like a theater troupe almost, you know. And it's a very, very special way to work. So, it's quite [overlap]
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : It's so true. Like, that's one of my favorite things about this show, and I feel so invested in it. Because I've never walked onto set -- And I always know this, you know, all of these guys are like they have an insane filmography. So you walk in with kind of nerves of what to expect. But what I didn't expect completely was the collaborative nature of like we would just sit down, talk about it, and if we had suggestions, ideas, changes, it would be done immediately. It was always about putting the show first and what's best for the show. And I think everyone came in with that intention and that was just so easy and great. Yeah.
Anthony Russo : I want to emphasize, too, that the roles that Priyanka and Richard are playing, I mean they are the highest degree of difficulty, for many reasons we've already talked about in the sense that they're playing two different versions of themselves with different sets of memories and how that processes in terms of their behavior and their choices and their thoughts. But also, again, the idea that they're playing something that has the highest degree of emotional complexity, at the same time, the highest degree of physical challenge. [laugh] And so for them to be able to do that, to pull off this movie on a physical level, on an acting craft level, on an emotional level, it's just something that Joe and I and David, we just sit back and marvel at as they bring it to life.
Joe Russo : It's exhausting to watch. I can't imagine what it's like to play.
Richard Madden : It's exhausting to do. [laugh] . But we have you guys guiding us through it, and that's what it is. It really is a brilliant family. And now that you saw from the trailer, the pace of it and how it rolls together. And that's what it's like on set. It's a lot of adrenaline every day. 'Cause everyone turns up at the top of their game, and we have to fire off each other and spark together, and that's what we manage to do like so beautifully in a really creative way.
Cara : Yeah. Not to get too into the weeds about like actual filming production, but I'm always so curious about the fight choreography and like when you get to rest. Would you shoot kind of the action sequences over several days and then get a couple days of not? Or how did it work?
Richard Madden : No.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : I was like, was that an option?
Richard Madden : No, it's kind of you're on your toes the whole time. But that's what's brilliant because, like I said earlier, it gives that opportunity for us to not just do action stuff and then go and do drama. We would be in the middle of a fight sequence and then go into a piece of drama together and, you know, try and pad down the sweat a little bit so that you looked good in a close up, and then back into a fight sequence again. So we kind of really got to spin between it all at all times.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Yeah. No, there wasn't any time off. [laugh]
Cara : That's why it looks so good so far, from what we see. I love the idea that you guys have all mentioned about like this being the first of its kind. Can you kind of expand a little bit on what makes this series the first of its kind and how it might impact viewers or, you know, the industry in kind of really being literally globe spanning?
Joe Russo : Yeah, I mean, I think what's great and unique is that the reach of a company like Amazon, its digital distribution network for storytelling is unique in that, you know, each region is critically important to, you know, the storytelling of the show. Like, everyone that we invite into this has an equal level of weight and importance to the story, and I think that's really unique. I'm not sure that it's something that we could have done with a theatrical release. That, you know, we could have created a world where, you know, different regions were fashioning stories around a flagship narrative like this. So I think there's something fresh and exciting about digital distribution and its reach. So I think, you know, you haven't seen anything like this before, because the technology and the company behind it, this is new. And I think it points towards where storytelling can go. And I think, you know, audiences are ready for something new. And for us, as storytellers, it's exciting to have a new format that we can play in.
Anthony Russo : Yeah. I mean, I think this show is like, capitalizing on two very exciting trends that we've seen in storytelling over the past several years, which is, we've all been developing a strong passion for narrative universes that have a sprawling expression to them, an interconnected years-long expression to them, where characters change and morph and move between different iterations. And at the same time, we've seen this rise in global filmmaking and the ability of non-English language movies and shows to travel to other cultures, and typically the more English language dominated cultures. So this show is almost kind of taking those two trends and smashing them together for the first time, which is exciting.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : That's so well said. It was so exciting to me as someone who worked for a very long time in a non-English medium to see the success of, you know, subtitled work in English language territories. But I think the ambition of this show, which was so attractive to me in the beginning, is kind of like the social experiment of it. If, you know, the flagship show is an English language, you have an Indian show, you have an Italian show, and the characters and the storylines kind of, you know, blend into each other and intersect. So will that take a territory of people and have them watch another language. Like, are the audiences of the Italian show going to want to watch the Hindi language show, where they have no similarity in language? But that's so exciting and interesting to me, the cross pollination of cultures and how entertainment goes beyond borders and language now. It's just about storytelling. And Amazon as a partner is so great at that. And I think Jen just having the ambition to want to do it with AGBO, it's like never been seen before. It's so cool.
Cara : Yeah. It also makes sense that, from how you've set up the show, you have an international group of spies. They would be everywhere.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : That's a fact.
Cara : It makes sense. It makes sense. I think we're gonna watch the trailer one more time. But also, I have to say that the wonderful journalists that have been watching, I've been using your questions, too. It hasn't all been mine. I just want to give you credit. It hasn't all been mine. So they've been excellent questions. Is there anything you guys want to add in before we roll to the trailer again, like we didn't touch on? Maybe like the arc of the first season, if we're going to be left with questions?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Of course you're gonna be left with questions.
Cara : A little plot line tied up?
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : Definitely.
Cara : Answers.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas : You're gonna want to season two because you'll have so many questions. [laugh]
David Weil : Exactly.
Cara : We're gonna get six episodes April 28th. Two will premier. Mark your calendars for that. It'll roll out weekly after that, but yeah. I'm excited.
Richard Madden : On behalf of all of us, thank you so much for all of your time today. We really appreciate it, and we're so excited to give you this first look. So excited that we want to show you again.
Cara : [laugh] Yes, let's see it again.
Synopsis :
Eight years ago, Citadel fell. The independent global spy agency – tasked to uphold the safety and security of all people – was destroyed by operatives of Manticore, a powerful syndicate manipulating the world from the shadows. With Citadel’s fall, elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) had their memories wiped as they narrowly escaped with their lives. They’ve remained hidden ever since, building new lives under new identities, unaware of their pasts. Until one night, when Mason is tracked down by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a new world order. Mason seeks out his former partner, Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that takes them around the world in an effort to stop Manticore, all while contending with a relationship built on secrets, lies, and a dangerous-yet-undying love.
Citadel
Created by Josh Appelbaum & Bryan Oh
Starring Richard Madden, Priyanka Chopra, Stanley Tucci, Lesley Manville
Executive producers : Anthony Russo, Joseph Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Scott Nemes, David Weil, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, Newton Thomas Sigel, Patrick Moran
Cinematography : Newton Thomas Sigel, Michael Wood
Production companies : Gozie AGBO, Midnight Radio, Amazon Studios
Distributor : Amazon Studios
Original network : Amazon Prime Video
Photos : Copyright Amazon Prime Video