Tag: Money Heist

  • ‘Money Heist: Korea ‘Joint Economic Area’ to premiere in June

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The South Korean adaptation of hit Spanish series “Money Heist” will debut on Netflix on June 24.

    The streamer on Friday shared the release date for the first part of the Korean show, which has been titled “Money Heist: Korea ” Joint Economic Area”, on its social media handles along with a teaser trailer.

    “Get ready for a bold new vision of the ultimate heist. ‘Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area’ premieres June 24,” Netflix tweeted.

    The Korean take on the series features Yoo Ji-tae as “The Professor”, a strategist criminal mastermind, and plans to pull off a heist in the Korean Peninsula.

    Park Hae-soo, who found global fame after playing the role of Cho Sang-woo in hit series “Squid Game”, plays Berlin in the show which also includes Jun Jong-seo as Tokyo, Lee Won-jong as Moscow, Kim Ji-hun as Denver, Jang Yoon-ju as Nairobi, Lee Hyun-woo as Rio, Kim Ji-hoon as Helsinki and Lee Kyu-ho as Oslo.

    The series is set in a fictional Joint Economic Area, in a world where the Korean Peninsula faces reunification.

    The teaser of the series shows Yoo Ji-tae as “The Professor” contemplating a selection of masks, before zeroing on the traditional Korean Hahoe mask.

    “A robber who stole a huge amount of money changes the world and becomes a hero. Of all the money heists, we’ll pull off the biggest one yet. The public will watch this greatest show on earth live and they will root for us,” he says in the video.

    Part one of the show, directed by Kim Hong-sun, includes six episodes. Hong-sun previously helmed TV dramas like ‘The Guest” and “Voice”.

    Ryu Yong-jae and his team, whose credits include the Netflix original series “My Holo Love” and tvN series “Psychopath Diary”, has penned the show.

    “Money Heist: Korea “Joint Economic Area” is produced by BH Entertainment and Zium Content.

  • ‘Money Heist’ adaptation, ‘Thirty Nine’ among 25 new K-dramas announced by Netflix for 2022 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Following the record-breaking popularity of K-dramas such as “Squid Game”, “Hellbound” and “Vincenzo”, streamer Netflix’s Korean arm has announced that they are launching more than 25 Korean shows in 2022, its largest number to date.

    According to a release by the platform, Korean shows dominated global popular culture in 2021 with “Squid Game” alone becoming the streamer’s biggest show ever, most viewed in 94 countries.

    The 95 per cent of “Squid Game’s” viewership came from outside Korea and led viewers to explore more K-content on Netflix. The streamer said the global viewing hours of our Korean shows grew six-fold last year, compared to 2019.

    ALSO READ | Riding on India’s K-drama wave, Prime Video launches 10 Korean shows

    “Credit for this growing global interest goes to the talented Korean creators we have been working with for the past few years. From 2016 to 2021, we launched more than 130 Korean titles.

    As a result, Netflix has become a compelling destination for fans of Korean content, who know that this is the home of diverse and high-quality Korean storytelling.

    “As this fanbase increasingly includes viewers from all over the world, we are excited to continue collaborating with Korean storytellers to bring the K-wave to new heights,” Don Kang, VP, Content (Korea), shared in the release.

    Some of the shows that viewers can look forward to include “All of Us Are Dead”, in which zombies invade a high school; “Money Heist: Korea Joint Economic Area”, an adaptation of the popular Spanish series; and the action-packed thrills of “Seoul Vibe”, a film where the adventures of a special-ops team take place against the backdrop of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

    The slate reintroduces some of the famous South Korean actors in new drama settings. For example, “Crash Landing on You” star Son Ye-jin stars in “Thirty Nine” alongside “Hospital Playlist” fan-favourite star Jeon Mi-do and “Justice” actor Kim Ji-hyun. The drama explores the life and friendship of three women who are about to turn 40.

    Similarly, “Forecasting Love and Weather” features “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” star Park Min-young, Netflix favourite Song Kang and “You Are My Spring” actor Yoon Bak. The romantic drama revolves around the life and love stories of the people working at the Korea Meteorological Administration.

    ALSO READ | K-drama ‘Snowdrop’ actor Kim Mi-soo dies at 31

    Fantasy drama “The Sound of Magic” stars popular South Korean actor Ji Chang-wook, best known to K-drama fans for shows “Healer”, “Suspicious Partner” and “Lovestruck in the City”, as a mysterious magician alongside “Beyond Evil” star Choi Sung-eun and Hwang In-youp of “True Beauty” fame.

    The series is directed by Kim Sung-youn of “Itaewon Class” fame. He is reuniting with writer Kim Min-jeong after “Love In The Moonlight”.

    “Black Knight”, a dystopian drama, will mark the return of popular Korean actor Kim Woo-bin following his recovery from nasopharyngeal cancer.

    It also features “Taxi Driver” actor Esom and is set in 2071 where people depend on respirator masks to breathe. Woo-bin plays a delivery driver in the drama.

    Other noteworthy titles in the list include Kim Hye-soo-starrer legal drama “Juvenile Justice”, romance drama “Twenty Five, Twenty” with Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk, fantasy show “Tomorrow”, “Business Proposal”, “Remarriage and Desires”, “Model Family”, “Glitch”, “The Fabulous”, “Love to Hate You” and “Somebody”.

  • Money Heist, Power of the Dog top Netflix global rankings

    By Express News Service

    The Spanish drama series La Casa de Papel popularly known as Money Heist has topped the list of Netflix’s Global Top 10 for last week with nearly 190 million total viewing hours. The series dropped on December 3. In just two days, it took the first spot with far more total viewing hours than the week’s top English-language show, Lost in Space, which logged 47.38 million hours for Season 3 during the week of November 29.

    Other non-English shows in Netflix’s Global Top 10 include Korean dramas Squid Game (21.2 million hours) and Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (11.56 million), which have been on the list for 12 weeks and 14 weeks, respectively.

    Latest addition to the non-English Top 10 this week was the goofy anime series, JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: Stone Ocean, which landed at Number 8 in its first week with 13.98 million hours viewed. Among English-language series, following Lost in Space was True Story, the Kevin Hart drama that grabbed 29.81 million viewing hours in its second week.

  • Netflix developing ‘Money Heist’ spin-off ‘Berlin’, casts first actor for Korean version

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “Money Heist” may be getting over on Netflix but a spin-off show, centring on popular character Berlin, is already being developed at the streaming service.

    Netflix has officially ordered the spin-off project which will see actor Pedro Alonso returning to play Andres de Fonollosa aka Berlin.

    Titled “Berlin”, the show is set to launch in 2023, reported Deadline.

    Berlin is one of the most popular-yet-polarising characters from “Money Heist”, known as “La Casa De Papel” in Spanish.

    Fans have found him to be quite charming, clever, funny and attractive but deep down, he is misogynistic and violent man, who is also a sexual predator.

    There are no details about the new show’s plot and how the makers plan to bring Berlin back as the character had died towards the end of season two of “Money Heist”.

    The news of the spin-off comes as “Money Heist” is ending with its last five episodes dropping on December 3.

    The Netflix series traces two heists pulled off by a ragtag group of thieves, led by the enigmatic The Professor (Alvaro Morte) — one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain.

    The fifth and final season of the popular Spanish series has been divided into two parts of five episodes each.

    The first five had debuted on Netflix on September 3.

    Meanwhile, the Korean adaptation of “Money Heist” will feature “Squid Game” star Park Hae-soo as Berlin.

    The Korean adaptation of “Money Heist” will be directed by Kim Hong-sun, who has helmed TV dramas like ‘The Guest” and “Voice”.

    Ryu Yong-jae and his team, whose credits include the Netflix original series “My Holo Love” and tvN series “Psychopath Diary”, will pen the 12-episode show.

    Hae-Soo found global fame earlier this year after playing the role of Cho Sang-woo in hit dystopian drama series “Squid Game”.

    The Korean version of “Money Heist” will be produced by BH Entertainment and Contents Zium.

  • Enrique Arce says people will like Arturo Roman from ‘Money Heist’ in retrospect

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: Love him or hate him but you surely cannot miss Arturo Roman from the popular Netflix series ‘Money Heist’. Ever since the show gained popularity, Arturo has been one of the most discussed characters on social media.

    Actor Enrique Arce, who plays Arturo in all the five seasons of ‘Money Heist’ also known as ‘La Casa De Papel’, has talked about his character, who can be described as a narcissist and believes himself to be a hero.

    Talking about being one of the most hated characters by the fans, Arce in a chat with IANS shared that he feels that Arturo Roman would be liked years down the line.

    “Do you know what I think he is? He’s one of those characters… I am saying it not as Enrique and there is no ego involved, but I think this is one of those characters that when you are not involved, when the five seasons are over and it has been two years, if people watch it again I think they would like the character rather than hate him,” he said.

    “When they will get the emotional distance I think they will say he was funny, he wasn’t that bad after all…”

    The 48-year-old actor said that his character brings in “comic relief”.

    “I don’t think Arturo is precisely necessary in the show… I think he’s a comic relief, it comes from the old theatre. It’s one of those characters that are put in to take the stress out from the main focus and it’s a very common role in theatre…”

    The actor added: “But this character people will say ‘I don’t hate him actually’ give it time. Just hate me all you want right now, one year from now ‘eh, kind of like him’.”

    “Money Heist” was initially intended as a limited series to be told in two parts. It had its original run of 15 episodes on Spanish network Antena 3. Netflix acquired global streaming rights in late 2017. By 2018, It was the most-watched non-English-language series and one of the most-watched series overall on Netflix.

    The series received several awards including the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series at the 46th International Emmy Awards. The Italian anti-fascist song “Bella ciao”, which plays multiple times throughout the series, became a global hit.

    What made the show so popular suddenly?

    “I think this show has a lot of word of mouth meaning that people tell their friends, parents and family members ‘you know I watched this show it’s amazing and it was great’ that I think was the main cause and then it is my understanding that it’s because of social media.”

    He also talked about how personalities such as Paulo Coelho and Neymar said wonderful things about the show, which helped grab eyeballs.

    Arce also shared that “Money Heist” was not only a “fictional show but has an emotional connection with a field of possibilities”.

  • ‘Money Heist’ Season 5 full of tension and action: ‘The Professor’ actor Alvaro Morte

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: As the final season of global hit “Money Heist” draws closer, lead star Alvaro Morte has teased that the last chapter is filled with loads of action and tense moments.

    The fifth and the final season of the smash-hit Netflix show, titled “La Casa De Papel” in Spanish, will be released in two parts.

    While the first five episodes will be released on September 3, the remainder will debut after three months on December 3.

    The Spanish series, created by Alex Pina, traces two heists pulled off by a ragtag group of thieves, led by the enigmatic The Professor (Morte) — one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain.

    Morte, who became popular with his performance as the bespectacled master planner in the show, said working on the show has been very “rewarding” for him as a performer.

    “I can’t tell you how the series is going to end — they would cut my throat — and I can’t tell you if it’s as good or not. Man, I hope so.”

    “What I can tell you is that it is a season with a lot of tension, a lot of action, and it’s very exciting. And it’s very rewarding for an actor, but you have to get into that mindset and it’s quite exhausting, in a good way,” Morte said during a virtual press tour.

    With the show coming to an end with season five, Morte said he will miss working with his co-stars as well as playing the character of The Professor.

    “The best memory I have, without a doubt, is the team. No doubt about it. Of course, my connection with this character has given me a lot. I’ve had a great time; I really enjoy it and I have a great time every time The Professor has to do his thing.”

    “But everything about working with this team has been a great experience. We knew from the beginning that this was a very tough project. That feeling of working together, like a well-oiled machine, so this could turn out well has been a great experience,” the 46-year-old actor said.

    “Money Heist” had a lacklustre debut on Spanish television back in 2017, but found a dedicated audience after it was acquired by Netflix.

    Its three follow-up seasons ensured the show’s status as a global phenomenon, catapulting Morte as well as his co-actors to international stardom and a place in pop culture.

    The virtual tour, organised by streamer Netflix for international journalists, including PTI, was moderated by Lukas Peros, who showed the behind-the-scenes action that was orchestrated by the show’s team in Madrid, Spain.

    Wearing the iconic red jumpsuit that became famous with the show, Peros, who plays Marseilles in the series, first caught up with costume designer Carlos Diez, who explained the process of designing outfits as well as accompanying accessories for the characters.

    “Making costumes for ‘Money Heist’ is fantastic because each character is different. Dressing all the characters individually and as a group, with the iconic red jumpsuits they use in the heist, has been a huge challenge. That was an idea that came from the initial script by Alex Pina.”

    “Then the jumpsuit had different iterations. The jumpsuit from the first and second season was different from the current one. We redesigned it for the third, fourth and fifth,” he said.

    Diez also explained how he designed the Salvador Dali masks that have become synonymous with the show now.

    “Each actor has their own and they have several. They are custom-made and, as you can see, there are different sizes. For men they are bigger, and they are a bit smaller for women. These masks were custom-made for ‘Money Heist’,” he added.

    Peros then introduced Abdon Alcaniz, who designed the exact replica of the Bank of Spain for the show.

    The art designer explained in-depth how he recreated the Spanish central bank and its different spaces, including libraries, offices and also a bathroom with a secret door.

    Peros later caught up with actors Esther Acebo and Pedro Alonso during the virtual tour.

    Acebo said she was happy with the way her character of Stockholm has progressed and came into her own over the course of five seasons.

    “I’m very happy with Stockholm’s character, with everything she’s going through. She has gone from that secretary we barely remember to being part of the gang and having a little more strength, power, and courage to do some crazy things, by the way,” she said.

    Alonso, who essays the role of Berlin, the brother of Morte’s The Professor, said the show has definitely made an impact on their lives, both professionally and personally.

    “I feel like a door has opened, or at least it has opened a little, which, beyond any personal considerations, has given visibility to a type of work that was being done here for the world. And if we make a small contribution in that sense, I think it is spectacular,” he said.

    The final season will see the gang being shut in the Bank of Spain for over 100 hours.

    They have managed to rescue Lisbon but their darkest moment is upon them after losing one of their own.

    The ensemble cast also includes Ursula Corbero (Tokyo), Itziar Ituno (Lisbon), Miguel Herran (Rio), Jaime Lorente (Denver), Enrique Arce (Arturo), Darko Peric (Helsinki), Hovik Keuchkerian (Bogota), Belen Cuesta (Manila), Rodrigo de la Serna (Palermo) and Najwa Nimri (Inspector Sierra).