Citadel, the high-risk sci-fi thriller starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden, has been renewed for a second season. In a tweet, Amazon Prime Video confirmed that Joe Russo – one half of the series’ executive producing duo, the Russo Brothers – will direct the entire second season alone. David Weil will resume showrunner duties for the series, which is the fourth most-watched show worldwide according to Amazon. Apparently, the $300 million crore budget for six episodes has paid off in terms of viewership, making it the second most expensive series in after The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power from the same studio of television history.
“Citadel is a truly global phenomenon,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a prepared statement (via diversity). “Our goal has always been to create a new franchise based on original IP that would grow Prime Video’s international audience. This show has attracted an overwhelming number of new international customers to Prime Video.” Not only did she greenlight season two, but she also confirmed that the first episode of Citadel is now free to watch worldwide without a Prime membership. Of course, users still need to log into their Amazon accounts.
The global interconnect series stems from the Russo Brothers’ AGBO banner, through which the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame have experimented with drama and action-packed affairs like Netflix’s The Gray Man. The first season of “Citadel” was primarily directed by Newton Thomas Sigel and Jessica Yu, although the Russos took on some duties in unspecified episodes.
Citadel is best described as a “massive and groundbreaking global event series” with regional spin-offs in India, Italy, Brazil, France and Mexico. The above US version follows Chopra Jonas and Madden as former elite agents who, after having their memories erased, rebuild their lives under new identities. Until a former fellow Citadel tracks them down and calls them back to the force to help take down Manticore, a powerful crime syndicate.
The Indian spin-off version of the Citadel franchise was greenlit in December, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu – presumably as a spy couple. Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK (Raj and DK) – best known for “The Family Man” – serve as showrunners, writers and directors of the series. Sita R. Menon (Go Goa Gone) is a co-writer on Citadel India. An Italian language production starring Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing) is also in the works at Amazon Studios.
There is currently no release window for Citadel Season 2. All six episodes of Season 1 are now available to stream on Prime Video.
