The Russo brothers present the trailer for ‘Citadel’: “It’s a unique series”

Joe Russo and Anthony Russo continue to establish themselves in the field of action in the world of streaming. After Netflix’s ‘The Invisible Agent’, which will give way to a cinematic universe, the brothers arrive on Amazon Prime Video with ‘Citadel’. The project this time is a series that will serve as the starting point for a new global franchise. Framed in the spy genre, the ambitious production will arrive in April and has already released its first trailer.

To celebrate the trailer’s release, the Russos held a virtual press conference with their stars, Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, as well as executive producer and showrunner David Weil. “It’s a unique series. This is what Anthony and I were most excited about”says Joe Russo at the event, which eCartelera was able to attend. “To tell a story that can travel the world, with one main series and many more written, produced and directed by original artists who tie into the parent series. We thought that was a very noble idea. And secondly, we wanted to create a diverse community and global range of storytellers to tell a giant mosaic in which to tie the entire narrative together”Add.

A worldwide project

And is that “Citadel” is only the first of a large number of projects that Russo and Amazon hope to be able to produce in different sectors around the world. “After our work on Marvel movies, we spent a lot of time traveling the world. It was an exciting idea for us”indicates the director. “The beautiful and ambitious thing about this spy universe that we are creating is that we are doing it in collaboration with partners from all over the world. We have already announced an Indian series, an Italian series… And we can work with incredible writers, directors, actors and producers from all over the world to build this great story together. It becomes this narrative told in different languages, across different cultures, in a very authentic way.” His brother is delighted.

“It’s not just a western point of view, but we’re doing something very original, coming together and building everything together”points out Anthony Russo. “Everyone we invite to this is of equal importance. It’s something unique that we couldn’t have accomplished with a theatrical release. There is something refreshing and awesome about platform previews. Nothing like this has ever been seen before because the technology and the company are new and it sets a new limit on how far narratives can go. The audience is ready for something new and it’s exciting for us to have a new format to play.”suggest.

As can be seen in the preview, the first step of this franchise will be set eight years after the fall of the global espionage agency Citadel at the hands of Manticore agents. Mason Kane (Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Chopra Jonas) managed to escape but lost their memory and built separate lives with completely different identities. The “Citadel” storyline will bring them together again when an old colleague of Mason’s enlists his help in taking down the Manticore. Thus, the two former spies will try to remember their past, reveal the secrets of their lives and, in turn, will try to put an end to the evils of the new reigning organization.

The adventure will take the heroes on a journey through different locations. “We’ve been to so many places… We go to Spain… everywhere. Miami… Part of the fun of the show is this travel quality that it has. And it’s essential to that core concept of telling stories around everything. The world”explains Joe Russo, “we will take you to all parts of the world with ‘Citadel'”. In Spain, the series was filmed in Valencia, a location that gave the Russos plenty to explore. “It’s a great location that we’ve never filmed in before, and offers some beautiful visuals that are ideal for the climactic scenes of the series”Anthony reveals.

A luxury cast

The Russos are also happy to have been able to count for this project not only on Madden and Chopra Jonas, but also on interpreters of the stature of Stanley Tucci, Lesley Manville or Osy Ikhile. “We are incredibly lucky, the cast is outstanding. But what Anthony and I were most excited about in this regard is the concept of Richard and Priyanka playing multiple versions of themselves. May the memories that emerge allow them to create new characters”Joe Russo says, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before”.

“Having all these actors to play such complex characters… The series wouldn’t work without their impressive performances.”says the director. “Sometimes I couldn’t focus on just one of the versions because the great thing about the script is that it gave me things that I could use in one or the other”Crazy muses. “It was like a big puzzle where we had to remember a lot of things. It was a lot of fun doing it”Chopra Jonas joins.

overwhelming action

‘Citadel’ promises not only a grand overall narrative but numerous action scenes never before seen on television. “It’s a modern way of storytelling. It’s true to the genre because there are various sets throughout the series that rival the cinematic experience. Our ambition was to bring that big-scale spy fiction to Amazon. The scale of the action scenes is exciting for us.” Joe Russo exhibits. “And the technology of this world is very realistic. Those are things that we’re all familiar with, but part of the unknown is these very sophisticated tools that spies can use.”complete Anthony. “This series allows viewers to enter the world of ‘Citadel’ and feel like they have a spy inside them”sentence the first.

“The action was fantastic. Joe and Anthony brought in a fabulous stunt team”praises Chopra Jonas, “We have been able to work with the best in the industry, we have been very lucky to work with them”. “Many times we watch series that are a little bit drama and a little bit action. This series aims to be 100% both. And that’s what’s great. In between those sequences of explosions, car chases… we have moments of very intimate drama. For me it was the best thing, that these impressive action scenes were filled with intense drama.”Madden says.

“Citadel” opens. on Amazon Prime Video on April 28.