Priyanka Chopra Makes Like 007 in Action-packed Spy Thriller ‘Citadel’

While we all wait to find out who’ll be cast as the next James Bond, Prime Video is debuting an audacious new espionage thriller that will tide us over

Part 007, part Bourne Identity, Citadel follows two super-spies (played by Quantico‘s Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Game of Thrones‘ Richard Madden) who work for a top-secret agency called Citadel, so elite it transcends governments and politics, created by a worldwide network of spies to protect humanity from itself. 

These agents—Nadia Sinh and Mason Kane—are the best of the best, until they’re set up in a near-fatal ambush that results in both having their memories wiped. 

Enter Bernard Orlick (Stanley Tucci), the agents’ former handler, who brings them back into action to take down Manticore, the powerful crime syndicate responsible for assassinating nearly all Citadel’s agents. 

Boasting Bond-level action sequences in exotic locales, ranging from the Italian Alps to Utah’s Moab desert, the $185-million series comes from Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed the last two Avengers movies.  

Interviewed by Total Film, the Russos confirm that any resemblance to the 007 franchise is entirely intentional—but as a jumping-off point for something they see as even bigger and bolder. “Our job as storytellers isn’t to bring you another version of Bond,” said Joe Russo. “Our job as storytellers is to bring you a fresh experience that you are excited and surprised by. So hopefully we hit that mark. We’ll see.”  

While Citadel focuses on both spies, it’s Chopra Jonas’ Nadia who takes the lead. “This is a genre that traditionally has a male lead,” Russo added. “Without giving too much away, her character is driving a lot of the action for the better part of the series, and Richard’s character is playing catch-up. That was a really interesting and exciting idea for us.” 

Citadel premieres Friday, April 28