The murmurs were there for weeks, and on April 16, it became official. On Wednesday, Amazon announced that Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana, the Indian and Italian offshoots respectively of Citadel, each one season old, were being discontinued. The OTT giant also announced that the second season of the US mothership series, led by Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden, would arrive in 2026. But mid-day has now learnt that the second season may mark the end of the road for the entire Citadel universe, as Amazon has apparently pulled the plug on its Mexico, Spain and Japan spin-offs. It is also heard that Chopra only has a two-season contract for the US version.
Citadel was conceived as a multi-country franchise with the Russo Brothers at the helm of the mothership series, and was viewed as one of Amazon’s most ambitious projects. A source reveals, “The idea was that after the first season of Citadel US, the Italy, Indian and Mexican versions would be released. The US series’ second season was to arrive in between these versions if the story allowed it, otherwise it would come as an ender after the release of Spain and Japan’s spin-offs. But now, the Mexican version is off the table. The fate of Japan and Spain’s offshoots also seems uncertain.”
In its recent statement, Amazon highlighted that the storylines from the Indian and Italian offshoots will be woven into the US spy thriller’s second season. “Having successfully traversed India and Italy, storylines from both Citadel: Honey Bunny and Citadel: Diana will be woven into the upcoming second season of the mothership series Citadel. While these successful international chapters will not continue as individual series, Season 2 of Citadel will be our most exhilarating yet,” read the statement issued by Vernon Sanders, head of television, Amazon MGM Studios. The Amazon spokesperson did not elaborate further in response to mid-day’s questions. Insiders, however, told us that the initial idea was to also include characters from the Mexican series.
Another source noted that the Indian series, starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, wasn’t exactly cancelled. “There weren’t any plans for season two. If at all, it would’ve happened only after the rest of the spin-offs as well as the US version had released.”
Citadel’s international network
Besides India’s Citadel: Honey Bunny and Italy’s Citadel: Diana, Mexico, Spain and Japan were to have spin-offs