Varun Dhawan to star in Indian instalment of Citadel, Russo Brothers say they’re ‘thrilled’ to have him on board

A flagship series starring Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden was filmed in the UK earlier this year. The Indian Citadel will begin filming in January.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | Updated: December 20, 2022 12:21 PM IST

3 min read

Varun Dhawan wants to act in South Indian movie

Varun Dhawan was last seen in Bhediya.

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After months of rumours, Varun Dhawan has been confirmed to star in the Indian instalment of the Prime Video sci-fi series Citadel. Producers Joe and Anthony Russo took to social media on Tuesday to share a promotional picture of the star, and wrote that they are thrilled to welcome him on board the franchise.

Citadel is an ambitious streaming franchise that will feature multiple spinoffs. Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden have been cast in the ‘mothership’ series, which remains undated despite having been shot earlier this year. An Italian spinoff began filming in October with star Matilda De Angelis.

Also read | Priyanka Chopra’s Citadel in trouble? Creative differences lead to walk-outs, reshoots cause budget to balloon to Rs 2000 crore

“We are thrilled to officially announce that we will be bringing you the Indian installment of the Citadel universe. The local Original spy series will start filming in January 2023,” the Russos, best known for the last two Avengers movies, wrote in their post. They also tagged directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK, who will be overseeing production. They will also serve as writers alongside Sita R Menon. The show is also rumoured to star Samantha Ruth Prabhu.

Varun said in a statement, “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.”

“We 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,” said Anthony and Joe Russo in a statement.

Recent reports suggested that the show had run into trouble after Prime Video expressed dissatisfaction with what the Russos had turned in, creating factions in the crew. A difference in creative vision has prompted Prime Video to fire members of the core team and initiate expensive reshoots that have ballooned the budget past the $250 million mark (nearly Rs 2000 crore), according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Varun was seen in two films this year, the romantic drama JugJugg Jeeyo, and the horror comedy Bhediya.

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