Anthony Russo,Angela Russo-Otstot, andSam Weilare three of the masterminds behindCitadel, one of the coolest connected universes building out today. With its flagship program a massive success on Prime,Citadelnow grows exponentially with Italian-based series:Citadel: Dianaand Indian-centered series:Citadel: Honey Bunny– with globetrotting plans in the future to bring the expanding franchise to countries like Spain and Mexico.
The series follows global spy agency Citadel as it falls. The agency’s power is soon usurped by powerful syndicate, Manticore. Now, years after Citadel agents' memories were wiped clean, they must recollect their past and fight back. StarringRichard Maddenas Mason Kane andPriyanka Chopraas Nadia Sinh, the amnesiac spies. Co-starringLesley ManvilleandStanley Tucci.
Russo-Otstot, Russo, and Weil sat down with Collider’s ownChris McPhersonto talk about all thingsCitadel. Together, they discuss what it’s like coordinating three series with three production companies in three countries simultaneously, in order to create a grand international experiment in visual storytelling. You can watch the full conversation in the video above or read the transcript below.
‘Diana’ and ‘Honey Bunny’ Are Truly Global Stories
“Each feel unique, distinct, and culturally resonant, but at the same time, globally resonant.”
COLLIDER: Nice to see you all. We’re here to celebratethree shows. First and foremost, is it a proud moment for all of you to see what you started suddenly expand into an international thing like this?
ANGELA RUSSO-OTSTOT: Yes, this is the moment we’ve been waiting for. It’s been such a thrill to collaborate over the last several years with [production company] Cattleya and Gina [Gardini] in Italy and with D.K., Raj, and Sita [Menon] in India. The opportunity that all of us have embarked on together was to manifest a truly global story through multiple expressions that each feel unique, distinct, and culturally resonant, but at the same time, globally resonant.It is this moment whereDianaandHoney Bunnyare being brought to audiences that we feel like we’re finally manifesting that mission.We couldn’t be more thrilled to have worked with our partners in Italy and India. We couldn’t be more thrilled for audiences to see the incredible work that they’ve done. This whole week has been such a joy to be able to champion everything that we’ve all worked so hard on.
Obviously, the nature of a spy series is a globe-trotting aspect. What is it you think is distinctive about Italy and India, as well as what Citadel is itself, that makes it an exciting prospect for other people? Do you think it’s a case of showing off the rest of the world, what can be done with different filmmakers, and getting a wider feel of what other people can do that maybe audiences don’t know about? Is that something that you think is appealing to new creators?
RUSSO-OTSTOT: Yeah. I think sometimes, when people discuss global storytelling, it’s easy to be seduced by exotic locales and the scale and scope that a global story can bring. What we have found to bemostmeaningful in this journey is leaning into the characters, the people that exist within these different settings, the conflicts that arise that can feel common and shared between them, but the different ways in which they manifest because of their unique circumstances.
DAVID WEIL: Absolutely.
‘Citadel’ Turns Back the Clock With the New ‘Honey Bunny’ Spin-Off Poster
The spin-off series premieres on Prime Video on November 7.
Do ‘Diana’ and ‘Honey Bunny’ Influence ‘Citadel’ Season 2?
Is there anything that you’ve seen fromHoney Bunnyand fromDianain terms of how the directors and the showrunners have put their own stamp on things that you’ve been inspired by for Season 2 ofCitadel?
WEIL: Oh, absolutely. During the writing process of Season 2, the cuts were coming in forDianaandHoney Bunnyas well. Not only their styles and their visual language, but the themes that they explore, the characters that they’ve created. We’re certainly borrowing from that great well of ideas and realizations into Season 2. We’ve been doing this from the beginning. I think that’s what’s so exciting about this grand experiment. As Anthony and Angela talked about, which is, we’ve built this together with our international partners, at the same time, they didn’t build in reaction to us — we really all crafted it together. It’s a constant flow of ideas and creativity.
There’s a throughline of all three shows, which is very strong female characters. Was it a fun part of that to work together and say, “We need to have these characters. They only need to kick ass, basically. How do we do that? What kind of themes do we think all three of our leads will share that we can take forward into showing our audiences?”
RUSSO-OTSTOT: That was very exciting to us. When working in any genre, I think all of us as filmmakers really want to challenge ourselves to go places that audiences haven’t witnessed yet, to dig into characters who feel not only fresh to a cinematic exploration within that genre but also just relevant and timely. We’re very excited to take the spy archetype and really bring forward these three strong, complex women, who I think not only are badass but bring so much dimension to their performances and really allow audiences to connect to them in a manner that maybe we don’t often connect to when we’re following a spy protagonist.There’s really a lot of depth and exploration as these characters struggle with identity,the lies that they are telling, and the complicated relationships that are being compromised by those lies. All three of our hero women are exceptional at that exploration and communicating the depth of challenge that it presents them.
Global Collaboration of ‘Citadel’ Includes the Audience
“There’s so many directions that we dream of taking this.”
WithHoney Bunny, we see where Nadia’s story essentially starts. Has there been any thought that maybe the origin of Citadel is a series that you might like to explore? Do you have in your mind how Citadel started and where Manticore came as a result of that? Was it the chicken or the egg? Which one came first and reacted to the other? Is that something you might like to explore further down the line?
RUSSO-OTSTOT: We’ve definitely talked about it in terms of what that story is. Especially when we, as storytellers, are exploring a world as big as this. With new organizations that we’re presenting to the world, we spend a lot of time getting into the details ofhowall of that came to be,whyall of that came to be, because then it empowers us as storytellers to go in any direction, to keep all possibilities open and to dig in in a manner that feels as authentic and nuanced as possible. So yes, it’s all on our minds. There are so many directions that we dream of taking this. We’re really excited to see how audiences embrace this because this isn’t just a collaboration with the other filmmakers for us — it’s a global collaboration, and thatincludesthe audience. I think that will also play a big role in where we might want to continue taking things.
Citadel: DianaandCitadel: Honey Bunnyare both streaming on Prime Video.
Citadel: Diana
Global spy agency Citadel has fallen, and its agents' memories were wiped clean. Now the powerful syndicate, Manticore, is rising in the void. Can the Citadel agents recollect their past and summon the strength to fight back?
