After the success of the original mostly U.S.-based Citadel, which premiered in 2023 (starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas) and is currently filming Season 2, the Citadel franchise is spawning several global sequels. An Indian version called Honey Bunny is due in the States on November 7, but first, there’s Citadel: Diana, a six-episode action set in an increasingly authoritarian 2030 Milan, Italy.
The protagonist in this iteration is Diana Cavalieri (Matilda De Angelis, The Undoing), ostensibly an agent of the international crime syndicate Manticore, which destroyed the European branch of Citadel, another powerful group aiming to keep the world safe — sometimes with less than pristine methods. In reality, though, Diana is a Citadel agent and a mole who has been trying to escape Manticore since the Citadel take-down eight years earlier, during which she lost her only contact and handler Gabriele (Filippo Nigro) and became totally alone with the enemy.
“Diana is strong and courageous [and joined] Citadel to get to the bottom of who killed her parents when she was a teen,” says showrunner Gina Gardini. Her Citadel backing gave her access to infiltrate Manticore for a particular mission. “Now that she’s been trapped behind enemy lines for so long, her driving need is to be free of Manticore, live a normal life, and finally be honest with the only relatives she has left.” That includes her sister Sara and her husband and daughter. Even that relationship may get rocky as Sara has increasing suspicions that Diana, who is posing as a financial wizard, is hiding something. And fleeing the syndicate may be impossible; once a Manticore agent, you can never leave unless in a casket, and that is a serious detriment to escaping.
“Our shows are both interconnected and unique,” explains Gardini. “At the core of each are complex family dynamics, interpersonal relationships, and deep-seated trauma in all the lead characters. But they are also standalone series that have distinctive narratives, tone, and style, and immersion in its cultural identity. This story is very much seen through an Italian lens. Citadel: Diana is a character-driven action drama that explores what Manticore, particularly Manticore Europe, is.”
In the Italian series, three of Manticore Europe’s founding families — France, Germany, and Italy — are in a power struggle to control the continent helped by a powerful piece of technology known as “the Apple.” (It’s named after the “apple of discord” that started the Trojan War.) The wealthy and powerful Zani family heads up Manticore Italy. Ettore (Maurizio Lombardi) is the head of both his firm and the Italian branch of the criminal organization. His son Edo (Lorenzo Cervasio), the heir to that job, is also the head of research and development of the clan’s weapons manufacturing empire. “He has a very conflicted relationship with his father Ettore,” teases Gardini. His American mother Julia (Thekla Reuten) is the heir to a U.S. steel fortune and is chief counsel to both her husband and son.
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Manticore France is run by the confident Cecile (Julia Platon), who took over the French Manticore branch at a young age and at one time had a romantic relationship with Edo. She is pursuing him. again, but this time it may be less about love than to combine two powerful families, squeezing out Germany. “Alliances within Manticore, however, constantly shift,” Gardini warns.
What happens with the Apple is fundamental to the shifts, and what happens in the opening two episodes surprises all the families. And yes, Diana being fearless and even reckless is a foundational key to the changing dynamics… Which might include attempting a risky alliance with one of the enemies that may or may not become more than an espionage move by the underground spy.
In the meantime expect lots of deception, kick-ass fighting, gun battles, and car chases.
Citadel: Diana, series premiere, October 10, Amazon Prime Video
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