Citadel Is Amazon’s Second-Biggest Debut Ever
Citadel, Amazon's expensive spy series, is the second-most watched show on their streaming service.
After only two episodes, the new spy series Citadel is already only slightly trailing Amazon Prime Video’s biggest debut, The Rings of Power. According to Collider, the series, produced by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, will have six episodes in its first season, with a second season already greenlit for production. The huge success comes on the heels of the Russo brothers’ big wins at the Academy Awards, with their film Everything Everywhere All at Once (which they produced) taking the top prize among a total of seven statuettes, the most of the night.
But Citadel isn’t only getting a second season. Collider also reports that spinoff series are in the works, though not in a common fashion. The adjacent series are international productions, with one in Italy and the other in India. These series are said to be strongly connected to the original, but in what ways we don’t yet know.
While that particular Citadel mystery remains to be revealed, more intrigue surrounds the series, both on and off the screen. Most obviously, fans are eager to see what happens in the next four episodes, with the Russos promising to deliver a “powerful climax” in a season where nothing can be taken at face value. While we await the details of the coming episodes, not to mention the international series, we’re also wondering about another intriguing moment that may or may not be able to be taken at face value.
Two of Citadel‘s stars, Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci, were recently in a video together on Tucci’s Instagram that might have hinted at Madden’s possible casting as the next James Bond. Toasting with the super spy’s signature martini, the pair sipped, with Madden locking eyes on the camera while calling his cocktail “Delicious.” It’s hardly an announcement, but it’s just another layer of mystery surrounding the record-setting streamer.
In that arena, there’s speculation that Citadel could easily be on the cusp of overtaking Rings in the standings at Prime Video, which is a definite possibility. As the Russo brothers come off not only their big Oscar night but also their huge Netflix successes, The Gray Man and Extraction, there is a wave of buzz around the pair, who are also preparing for the upcoming Extraction 2. As the hits keep coming, the brothers show no signs of stopping, and viewers are clearly eating up whatever they have to offer.
How Citadel will unfold remains to be seen, but there is even more developing for the cinematic siblings, with their adaptation of the novel The Electric State drawing a lot of buzz. The film is also drawing stars, with a cast list centered around Millie Bobby Brown, the breakout star of Netflix’s Stranger Things. Along with Chris Pratt, the movie’s roster includes two Russo alums, Tucci and Everything Everywhere All at Once Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan.
While we know a lot about what’s in store for the Russos, the mysteries of Citadel remain to be uncovered. And whether a new tux is in Madden’s future or not, we imagine he and fellow star Priyanka Chopra Jonas are enjoying the ride. Audiences certainly are, and it looks like they will have a lot more to look forward to.
