Varun Dhawan to lead Indian installment of Citadel

Bollywood star Varun Dhawan is set to headline Prime Video's Indian original series within the "Citadel" franchise, the streaming platform announced Tuesday.

Billed as a "local Original spy series", the currently untitled project hails from Prime Video and AGBO, the production banner co-founded by Hollywood filmmaking duo Russo Brothers.

Raj & DK, who previously collaborated with Prime Video on the successful "The Family Man" series, will serve as showrunners and directors on the upcoming show.

Gaurav Gandhi, vice president, Prime Video India, said the team is excited to begin production on the Indian chapter of the "Citadel" universe.

"With this project, we are building on our mission of borderless entertainment to produce local Original content that can be enjoyed by audiences across the world. Citadel is a truly global franchise, with local productions, across countries, that build back to an inter-connected storyline—a first-of-its-kind innovation in storytelling," said Gandhi in a statement.

"We are delighted to have Varun Dhawan play the lead in this super exciting Indian installment of the franchise. With Raj and DK at the helm of creating this action-packed spy series, and Varun playing the lead, we believe the Citadel India chapter will not just raise the bar in terms of Original productions in India, it will also bring global attention to India’s incredible pool of creators and talent. We can’t wait to share it with our audience in India and around the world," he added.

According to a press release issued by the streamer, filming on the series will begin in January.

Written by Sita R Menon along with Raj & DK, the Indian Original "Citadel" series marks the streaming debut of Dhawan.

Anthony and Joe Russo, who are attached as executive producers on the project, said they are thrilled to see yet another production within the "Citadel" universe commencing, this time in India.

"We, and all of AGBO, consider it an honour to be collaborating with filmmakers as inspiring as DK and Raj, who bring a unique vision, style, and tone to our collection of global series. And, we can’t wait to see how this remarkable cast brings their and Sita’s imaginative characters to life," they said in a joint statement.

Dhawan, who was most recently seen in the hit creature comedy "Bhediya", is looking forward to beginning his journey in the streaming space with Prime Video.

"'Citadel' is an exceptionally ambitious and exciting franchise, and to be part of this magnificent universe, conceptualised by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO and Jennifer Salke, is a landmark moment in my career.

"I have been a big fan of their work and I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this project, and can’t wait to start shooting it. The storyline of the Indian 'Citadel' chapter is fantastic, and when you have creators like Raj & DK on board, one can be certain that a spectacle is in the making," he added.

Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK under their banner D2R Films will also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by D2R Films, and Amazon Studios, with AGBO's Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Scott Nemes, and David Weil ("Hunters") overseeing production on the Indian Original and all series within the global "Citadel" universe.

Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, Jeff Pinkner, and Scott Rosenberg serve as executive producers for Midnight Radio on the Indian chapter as well as other "Citadel" installments.

As previously announced, Richard Madden ("Bodyguard"), Priyanka Chopra Jonas ("Quantico") and Stanley Tucci ("The Hunger Games" films) will star in the first-to-launch "Citadel" series in the franchise. It will premiere in 2023.

Additional local-language "Citadel" productions are also in the works, including an Italian Original series starring Matilda De Angelis of "The Undoing" fame.

(PTI)