The Italian spin-off of Citadel titled Citadel: Diana is all set for its premiere on Prime Video on October 10. In September, the teams of Citadel, Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny came together in London for a press premiere and pictures of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Samanta Ruth Prabhu and Matilda De Angelis posing together went viral. Raj-DK’s Citadel: Honey Bunny starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha also had a premiere at the gala night.
Now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Citadel: Diana’s showrunner Gina Gardini shares her thoughts on the Varun-Samantha series that marks the Indian chapter of Russo Brothers’ spy universe. “It was a lot of fun meeting all of them at the press screening. It was a Citadel global event. I’ve seen Citadel: Honey Bunny and was pleased to rewatch its first episode at the premiere. And I think it’s fantastic,” she says.
Gina – known for producing popular Italian projects like Suburra, ACAB: All Cops Are Bastards and Nine – further lauds the actors, who are sharing screen space for the first time, and tells us, “Varun and Samantha are fantastic and have amazing chemistry. I think both of their roles are unexpected. I tell Raj & DK all the time how much I love the show and I can’t wait for it to come out again so that I can re-binge it.”
So, what was her first reaction when she came to know that Citadel would’ve multiple spin-offs? “When the idea was initially pitched, I was like, ‘That’s so brilliant! Why hasn’t anyone done that in television?’ We obviously have these interconnected films with different worlds outside of television. But the idea that they were going to transpose that into television was really exciting. We felt like we were already a part of something bigger and special. I loved Citadel but it was scary because having seen the mother show, we knew that there were large expectations to meet,” Gina recalls.
Russo Brothers’ are happy with the way Citadel: Diana has turned out, reveals Gina. And what particularly has left her thrilled is the fact that the duo let them ‘embrace’ and be ‘invested’ in their ‘cultural identity’ as far as the show goes. “They’re fantastic collaborators. They didn’t just see the show [as audiences] but have also been of the whole process over a number of years. They helped us constantly hone our narratives while taking a very hands-off approach about the cultural specifics in terms of what would work best as an Italian show. That was really exciting and new,” she states.
On a related note, Citadel: Diana is set in Milan in 2030 and revolves around an undercover Citadel agent who’s trapped behind enemy lines as a mole in Manticore. The series features approximately 850 stunts, hundreds of cars, high tech spy gadgets, adrenaline-fueled scenes and a nearly 450-meter long zip-line flight. Matilda performed most of her stunts herself following intensive strength training, choreography and martial arts.
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