It’s official, Amazon Prime’s spy thriller series Citadel starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 40, and Richard Madden, 36, is the second most expensive series to make.
The six-episode first season cost $300 million to make. That’s $50 million per episode.
The series is said to be a huge passion project for Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke.
Part of the reason for the high cost is the fact that the series was renewed for a second season before the first season ended.
Prime Video wants to expand Citadel into a spin-off franchise.
Stunning in fuchsia: It’s official, Amazon Prime’s spy thriller series Citadel starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas, 40, and Richard Madden, 36, is the second most expensive series to make
Spies Like Us: The six-episode first season cost $300 million to make. That’s $50 million per episode
Other factors also drove up costs, including the production stoppage for the pandemic, the recall of the actors and crew to resume shooting, and the high cost of COVID 19 protocols that were not taken into account when the series was greenlit.
Priyanka also fought for equal pay with her male co-star Madden — something she’s never had before in her nearly 20-year career.
“If your contribution, time and what you bring to the table is the same as your male counterpart, there’s a very serious conversation to be had about compensation,” she said.
“It wasn’t a conversation I was encouraged into for very long because it was just a given when I started in movies that your male counterpart would have a significantly higher salary,” she continued.
“I think my generation of female actors really stood up for themselves,” she added.
The actress, who is married to Jonas Brother Nick Jonas, plays the character of Nadia Sinh.
The synopsis for the series reads: “The global spy agency Citadel has fallen and the memory of its agents has been erased. Now the powerful Manticore crime syndicate fills the power vacuum. Citadel agents must remember their past and find the strength to fight back.”
Malti Marie’s mother suffered an injury while shooting Citadel, leaving a small scar on her beautiful face.
Lady in red: Priyanka earns as much as her co-star Madden as she fought for equal pay
High cost: Part of the reason for the high cost is the fact that the series was renewed for a second season before the first season dropped
The accident happened during a rainy day in London, towards the end of filming for that day.
“The ground was wet and I was an inch short of where I was supposed to stop. So the camera moved a few inches closer to me and the matte box took my eyebrow out,” she shared Variety.
“But you know, I have a cool scar and a good story to tell. I just put some surgical glue on her and closed her up and ended the day,” she said.
And that didn’t stop her from continuing to shoot: “I didn’t want to come back and have to do that whole thing again,” she explained.
Other Factors: Other factors also drove up costs, including the production hiatus for the pandemic, the recall of the actors and crew to resume shooting, and the high cost of COVID 19 protocols that were not taken into account when the series was green-lit got.
Spin-offs: The series is a passion project for Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, who hopes to spin the series into other series
“I was like, ‘Let’s just get it done.’ I had fake blood and mud and stuff on my face anyway, so you couldn’t see it.”
And the Quantico star isn’t eager to be her own stunt double again any time soon.
“I didn’t want to do my stunts,” she told the outlet. “I trust that I will. The filmmakers’ mandate was: “We would like to see the faces of the actors as much as possible and where you feel safe.”
For what it’s worth, the most expensive series to make is Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power at $58 million per episode.