Prime-Video - Citadel: The grand finale airs this Friday

By Mulder, 22 may 2023

"Having production scattered all over the world can be a logistical challenge as you try to coordinate creative teams on different continents and in different countries to all talk to each other, but we've had summits where we've all gotten together, sat in a room and shared ideas. We have our production company AGBO, our sister Angela [Russo-Otstot] and showrunner David Weil to thank for creating an infrastructure that allows this kind of collaboration." - Joe Russo

The first season of the Amazon Original Citadel series starring Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and Richard Madden is drawing to a close. The sixth and final episode of this breathtaking spy series arrives this Friday, May 26 on Prime Video in France and around the world.

Elevated fashion and authentic wardrobe choices were essential in setting the bar on the set of this high-stakes global espionage thriller, starring Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico), Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), Lesley Manville (The Crown), Osy Ikhile (The Feed), Ashleigh Cummings (The Goldfinch), Roland Møller (Skyscraper) and Caoilinn Springall (The Midnight Sky) :

The mission's uniforms during the ski action sequence in episode 3 were painted using "Blackest Black" paint, originally patented by Anish Kapoor, but later commercialized by another artist. The telescopic Blackest Black was used to distort the human body and give it an almost illusory human appearance. Their uniforms are based on the dazzling camouflage used during the First and Second World Wars, which was used on warships not to conceal but to mislead.

The vest worn by Carter (Osy Ikhile) throughout the series is called the "100-year vest". Made from a Swiss super-material originally created for the military elite, it repels fire, wind, rain and weather. Flames can't spread across the jacket or even pierce it, water rolls off it, wind doesn't blow through it, and almost nothing can tear it. Yet it's breathable and stretchy enough to comfortably traverse any jungle, desert, city or airport on the planet.

The red dress Nadia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) wears in the first episode is both a nod to her Indian heritage and represents the fire she's about to cross, both figuratively and literally. The snake's head on the purse handle evokes the threat of Medusa and the paralyzing consequences of fighting her. The lariat necklace is inspired by the markings of short-snouted snakes, indicating the way Nadia moves in Citadel.

The scope of Citadel is vast, with filming locations for the first season stretching from coast to coast in the USA, from Oregon to Atlanta, as well as in the UK, Morocco and Spain. This groundbreaking, high-stakes global espionage thriller stars Richard Madden (Game of Thrones), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico), Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada), Lesley Manville (The Crown), Osy Ikhile (The Feed), Ashleigh Cummings (The Goldfinch), Roland Møller (Skyscraper) and Caoilinn Springall (The Midnight Sky).

Citadel's behind-the-scenes production team was fortunate to be able to count on some of Hollywood's best film and TV brains, including renowned location manager Bill Darby, who has worked on such hit films as National Treasure, Robin Hood, and
The Mummy.

Bourne Wood, in Surrey, England, was one of the filming locations. The area, also used in Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning Gladiator, was used as a substitute for the lower slopes of the Italian mountains in the first season.

Citadel's main theme tune was recorded at London's Air Studios, once a former church, then called Lyndhurst Hall, and designed in the Romanesque style by Alfred Waterhouse in 1884.

Antlanta, Georgia, was also an important filming location and it was here that Joe and Anthony Russo worked for over 10 years, on popular film projects such as Avengers: End Game and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The environment outside the train in the opening scene of the first episode, which was supposed to represent the Italian Alps in the script, was in fact based on the Norwegian Flåm railway line. To create this environment, a team spent two weeks capturing the necessary data, which was then used to build a course of 50,000 computer-generated images of the environment.

Citadel marks the beginning of a new type of reference universe/franchise, based on entirely original intellectual property, with interconnected stories that span the globe. It's the first time an IP universe has featured interconnected stories from outside the US and around the world. Each Citadel series is created, produced and filmed in the region, and features the best local talent, forming a distinct global franchise.

Regarding action scenes worthy of the best blockbusters and to make the Netflix series Fubar palpitate:

After nearly a decade in the film industry, Citadel marks the Russians' return to the small screen to undertake another epic tale with this action-packed drama.

The fight sequence in the opening scene of the first episode in the train cab was shot in a matter of days, and was filmed in the Avengers cabin where Tony Stark lived and where his funeral took place in Avengers: Endgame.

Citadel marks the beginning of a new kind of reference universe/franchise, based on an entirely original intellectual property, with interconnected stories that span the globe. This is the first time an IP universe has featured interconnected stories from outside the U.S. and around the world. Each Citadel series is created, produced and filmed in the region, and features the best local talent, forming a distinct global franchise.

Synopsis:
Eight years ago, the Citadel fell. The independent international spy agency responsible for keeping everyone safe was destroyed by agents of Manticore, a powerful syndicate pulling strings in the shadows. When the Citadel fell, elite agents Mason Kane and Nadia Sinh had their memories erased as they narrowly escaped. Since then, they've been living under new identities, unaware of their past. Until one night, Mason is found by his former Citadel colleague, Bernard Orlick, who desperately needs his help to prevent Manticore from establishing a New World Order. Mason is reunited with his former partner, Nadia, and the two spies embark on a mission that will take them all over the world in an attempt to stop Manticore.

Citadel
Created by Josh Appelbaum and 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
Director of photography: Newton Thomas Sigel, Michael Wood
Production companies: Gozie AGBO, Midnight Radio, Amazon Studios
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Original Network: Amazon Prime Video