Samantha to lead 'Citadel' Indian spin-off opposite Varun Dhawan: Report
A few months back, Varun Dhawan was reported to have signed a deal with Amazon Prime Video for the series Citadel. Now, we have news about the female lead of the action-thriller venture. Reportedly, Samantha Ruth Prabhu will star in the Raj and DK directorial. This show would be a spin-off of the international version that stars Priyanka Chopra in an important role.
Why does it matter?
Citadel is a huge production, set to come out on Prime Video. Touted as a "global thriller multi-series," the Russo Brothers' backed project is a spy thriller, is produced in various parts of the world. While Anthony and Joe Russo are directing the central version (starring Chopra), Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK have gotten the chance to helm the Indian variant.
Makers wanted 'fresh pairing' and thus Prabhu was brought aboard
According to a report by Pinkvilla, the makers were on "the lookout for a fresh pairing" and thus chose Prabhu opposite Dhawan. "The team is planning to mount it on a massive scale and get stunt coordinators of international repute on board. Both [Dhawan] and [Prabhu] will do multiple workshops and training sessions to learn various forms of action," a source told the portal.
It might premiere on Prime Video in 2023
The team will begin the shooting in 2022, added the source. The leads are touted to play "stylish spies" in the project, which is scheduled to see the light in 2023. The source stressed the Indian series won't be a "remake" or an "adaptation." This will mark Dhawan's first collaboration with Raj and DK, who have worked with Prabhu on The Family Man 2.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is on a roll!
Currently shooting her multi-lingual project Yashoda, Prabhu is on a roll! She is set to get her international film debut in Arrangements of Love. Rumors on her Bollywood debut are rife too with Taapsee Pannu recently admitting she has approached Prabhu for a film.
Chopra had recently wrapped up shooting for international version
The other variants, alongside India, will be jointly produced by Russo Brothers, and Amazon Studios. Some other countries to have their own spin-offs are Italy and Mexico. Chopra was reported to have begun shooting back in January this year and wrapped it up just some weeks ago. Sharing pictures with the cast and crew, the Desi Girl had written: "It's a wrap on #Citadel."
