Varun Dhawan will direct the Indian installment of big-budget spy series Citadel and make his streaming debut with Amazon Prime Video. Amazon made the announcement on Tuesday when producers Anthony and Joe Russo – collectively dubbed the Russo Brothers – welcomed the Bollywood actor to the Citadel universe in a tweet. Set to begin filming in January 2023, the spin-off series Citadel India will be helmed by filmmaking duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK (Raj and DK) – best known for The Family Man – who will serve as showrunners, Writers and directors serve as directors. Further details on the cast and a possible release window will be announced in due course.
“We are thrilled to see another production within the citadel Universe begins, this time in India. We, and everyone at AGBO, consider it an honor to work with filmmakers who are as inspiring as DK and Rajbringing a unique vision, style and tone to our collection of global series,” executive producers Anthony and Joe Russo said in a prepared statement. “And we can’t wait to see how this remarkable cast brings her and Sita’s imaginative characters to life.” The latter refers to co-writer Sita R. Menon, who rose to fame with 2013’s Go Goa Gone. Other local language Citadel productions are also in the works, starting with an Italian version starring Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing).
The untitled Dhawan-led The Indian Citadel series is set within the Russos “Citadel Universe” exploring interconnected espionage stories in different countries. The original US set version was greenlit back in 2020with Priyanka Chopra Jonas (The White Tiger) and Richard Madden (Eternals) headlining what is allegedly is among the most expensive series to be produced – with a budget in excess of US$200 million (about Rs 1,655 billion). The Russo Brothers are known for their contributions to Marvel Cinematic Universewhich led to them starting their own SUBSCRIPTION Studios in 2017.
Major credits include extraction and The gray manboth of which are available to stream now Netflix. The brothers move with Citadel Amazon Prime Video, along with their subsequent regional rates. Details on the plot of the Russo Brothers’ Citadel are scarce, and it is merely described as “an expansive and groundbreaking global event series” with offshoots set in the Italian Alps, Brazil, France, Mexico and the United States aforementioned India.
“The Indian portion of the distinctive and dazzling Citadel universe is one of our most exciting projects, and working with the Russo Brothers’ AGBO has truly been an exciting opportunity,” said Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals at Amazon Prime Video. “Following the phenomenal success of The family man, collaborating with Raj & DK on this project feels like we are further cementing our creative partnership. We’re confident that with this series we’ll be pushing the envelope up a few notches and delivering a truly immersive experience for our viewers.”
There is currently no release window for the Dhawan-led Indian version of Citadel.
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