The “Citadel” series, produced by brothers Joe and Anthony Russo (directors of “Avengers: Endgame”) for Amazon, could become one of the most expensive series ever produced.
Written by duo Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec (from “Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol”) and starring Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (“Quantico”), “Citadel” is a spy thriller developed with the intends to launch derivatives in other countries, such as Mexico, India and Italy.
According to The Hollywood Reporter’s website, the attraction suffered a lot of problems behind the scenes, which significantly increased its cost, as well as having undergone numerous filming. Now, the seven-episode series, which had already cost at least $ 160 million, was to add at least another $ 75 million to its budget.
Part of this high budget is also due to health measures that had to be implemented due to COVID-19 and which were not calculated at the time of the series budget.
If these values are confirmed, “Citadel” will become the second most expensive series in history, behind only one other Amazon production: “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.
In the case of the series based on the universe created by JRR Tolkien, the production rights alone cost $ 250 million and the production of the first season was at least $ 465 million.
However, that was a well-known brand, which is likely to generate the expected return. In the case of “Citadel”, being an original production, the expected return is almost entirely based on the names of the directors.
It is clear that the Russo brothers have a good reputation, having commanded some of the biggest box office hits of all time while working at Marvel. Their streaming experience was also successful, as they directed the movie “The Hidden Agent”, which became the fourth most viewed original film on Netflix, and produced “Extraction” (the sixth most watched movie on the platform).
But they’re no strangers to bloated production and budget problems. When they made the film “Cherry”, with Tom Holland for Apple +, they also overspent the budget and the film was not made. However, their name carries a lot of weight.
Not surprisingly, when the production began to have problems, Amazon sided with the directors. Reports point out that the company did not like the first scenes of the series, which were produced without much involvement by the Russos, who were working on the film “Hidden Agent” at the time.
As soon as they finished their work for the rival stream, the filmmakers began to get more involved in the series, which generated internal conflicts. The Russo brothers and the writing duo Appelbaum and Nemec had very different visions for the show.
One person familiar with the project said the pilot version of Appelbaum introduced the spies into a spectacular ski and hang glider sequence and then advanced the story five years, showing the heroes with no recollection of their previous occupation. The Russo version, in turn, began five years later, discarding the entire action sequence.
A serious conflict developed between Joe Russo and Josh Appelbaum, culminating in Appelbaum’s dismissal. “What should have happened was that Joe would have to turn to Josh and tell him, ‘Let’s get together and solve this problem,'” said a source close to the project, who complained about the lack of dialogue between the two.
With Appelbaum’s departure, other team members also left the project, including director Brian Kirk (“Game of Thrones”), who directed five of the season’s seven episodes.
With that, Amazon hired screenwriter David Weil (creator of the “Hunters” series) to rewrite the scripts and start rewriting. The director was Thomas Sigel, a veteran of photography (who worked with the Russos on the film “Cherry”) and who had already directed two episodes of “Citadel”.
Although Sigel is the “official” director of the shoot, sources also point out that Joe Russo was actively involved in the production.
“Citadel” is currently in post-production and does not yet have a premiere date.
Despite the problems, Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec remain involved with Amazon. They are working on the film “Heads of State”, which will star Idris Elba and John Cena.
The Russo brothers, in turn, are working on the science fiction “Electric State”, developed for Netflix, whose budget should also exceed $ 200 million.
Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
