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Priyanka Chopra, Richard Madden to Star in Russo Brothers' Spy Series 'Citadel'

By Jeff Sneider | Janurary 14, 2020

They'll star in the U.S. 'mothership' of the series, as there will be local-language productions in Mexico, Italy and India.

If you're a devoted listener of The Sneider Cut, this news may sound familiar, but Amazon Studios made it official today -- Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico) and Richard Madden (Bodyguard) will star in Citadel, the new international spy series from the Russo brothers. You know, those guys who made a little movie called Avengers: Endgame.

Citadel is an ambitious project for Amazon as well as the Russos' company AGBO, as there will be local-language productions of the franchise in Mexico, Italy and India. Madden and Chopra Jonas will star in the U.S. “mothership” edition of the global series.

Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg of Midnight Radio will serve as writers and executive producers of Citadel. Patrick Moran and Mike Larocca will executive produce with Joe and Anthony Russo. The Italian series will be co-produced with Cattleya (Gomorrah), which is part of ITV Studios, and the Indian series will be developed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. (The Family Man).

Chopra Jonas made her American TV acting debut with the ABC drama Quantico and went on to play the villain in the Baywatch movie opposite Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. She recently starred in and co-produced the indie movie The Sky Is Pink, and she'll soon be seen in Robert Rodriguez's Netflix movie We Can Be Heroes, as well as the streamer's adaptation of the acclaimed novel The White Tiger, which she's also executive producing. Additionally, Chopra Jonas is developing an untitled Indian wedding comedy with Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor for Universal, which she will co-produce and star in.

Madden is the former Game of Thrones star who recently earned rave reviews for his turn in the BBC-Netflix series Bodyguard. He recently starred opposite Taron Egerton in Rocketman, and he's currently filming Chloe Zhao's Marvel movie Eternals, in which he'll play Ikaris. Madden can also be seen in a supporting role in Sam Mendes' 1917, which is up for Best Picture.

I would expect Amazon to give the Russos a big-budget for this series, which has a lot of upside if it works. Chopra Jonas is an international superstar whose recent marriage to Nick Jonas made global headlines, and Madden's own profile is growing thanks to Bodyguard and a leading role in Eternals. Amazon is catching both of them at just the right time, and I can't wait to see how this series comes together. For more on Marvel's Eternals, click here.