Money Heist spoilers below
Post-Christmas parties, extravagant lunches and festive film marathons, there are those tantalising empty days just before New Year's Eve, when there is literally nothing to do. The days run into one another, you eat turkey and/or chocolate at strange times of the day, and remain pretty much glued to the sofa, bingewatching TV.
Netflix has a gift for that future, horizontal, version of you: on December 29, bang in the middle of these Betwixmas days, a spin-off of its super-popular heist series, Money Heist, will be landing on the streamer. Here's everything you need to know about the new heist show, Berlin.
What is Berlin about?
Details about Berlin are still few and far between, even though the new series is just around the corner. What we do know is that the new show will see Spanish actor Pedro Alonso return to play Berlin, the formidable larcenist who was one of the lead characters in Money Heist. This time he is having fun in Paris: he has a new crew – Keila (Michelle Jenner), Cameron (Begoña Vargas), Roi (Julio Peña) and Bruce (Joel Sánchez) – and they are going to attempt to rob the largest and most prestigious auction house in Paris.
Netflix's Tudum sets the scene: "Berlin says there are only two things that can turn a bad day into a great one: love and a million-dollar payday. So he’s preparing one of his most extreme heists yet — disappearing $44 million worth of jewels. But first, he’ll need to enlist the help of some savvy criminals: Keila, a cybersecurity mastermind; Damián, an academic and Berlin’s close friend; Cameron, a loose cannon who lives life on the edge; Roi, a locksmith and Berlin’s faithful sidekick; and Bruce, who’s fluent in gadgets and weaponry."
The show has been created by Spanish producer Álex Pina, who created the original series. This time he has collaborated with Esther Martínez Lobato, who was one of Money Heist's executive producers.
What is Money Heist?
La casa del papel, or, as it became known to its hundreds of millions of fans worldwide, Money Heist, was a full-throttle five-season heist drama set in Madrid, that was released on Netflix between 2017 and 2021. It had originally been made for Spanish network Antena 3, and then took the world by storm when it became available to a wider audience on the major streaming platform.
Created by Pina, Money Heist told the story of a man who hires eight thieves to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. The story (which has notes of Spike Lee's 2006 thriller, Inside Man) involves the criminals wearing matching boiler suits, taking hostages and play mind games with the police force.
The show was a major success, and turned into five series – the last chapter of which was released in 2021. Years after their release, parts 3, 4 and 5 remain at the top of Netflix's most-watched non-English language TV shows of all time, holding the 2nd, 4th and 5th positions on the streamers top ten list, with a whopping total of 2.13 billion hours viewed.
Who is Berlin?
In Money Heist, each of the eight thieves who were hired by the "Professor", the mastermind of the project, goes by an alias which is the name of a city: the group members are called Lisbon, Tokyo, Nairobi, Berlin, Moscow, Rio, Denver and Stockholm.
Berlin is a terminally ill, intelligent and manipulative jewel thief. He's the second in command and we later find out that he is the Professor's brother. The fact that Berlin doesn't have long left makes him particularly dangerous. The new show is a prequel.
Is there a release date?
Yes, Berlin will be released on Netflix on December 29 – making for a perfect post-Christmas binge.
Does it star the same cast?
Berlin features a nearly brand new cast, but there is still some cross over: in Berlin's teaser trailer, Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño), the police inspector-turned-robber makes an appearance, as does police inspector Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri). And of course, because the series is set in the past, they're happy to see one another.
Who are the actors?
52-year-old Pedro Alonso is a popular Spanish artist, actor and writer, who has featured in 21 films and 27 TV shows since he began his career in 1995. He is being joined on screen by Michelle Jenner, who is best known in Spain for her lead role in police thriller Los hombres de Paco (2005-2010), which was co-created by Álex Pina.
The new show will also star 24-year-old Spanish actor and dancer Begoña Vargas, who starred in the Spanish 2021 film Outlaws; Julio Peña Fernández, who is known for playing Manuel Gutiérrez Quemola in Disney's Bia (2019-2020) and 27-year-old actor and model Joel Sánchez.
They are joined by Spanish actor and director Tristán Ulloa, who played Father Vincent in Netflix's fantasy series Warrior Nun (2020-2022).
Is there a trailer?
Yes – and it really sets the scene for another heart-thumper (although markedly less intense than those final chapters of the original series). We've popped it at the top of the page.
Judging by the trailer, Berlin, who Alonso once described as "cruel, heroic, and funny at the same time", and Spanish newspaper El País described as "a snob, a misogynist, and a bit sadistic" is having a lot of fun in Paris: he's dating the wife of the director of the auction house, and he has set forth an elaborate plan which involves the crew running around the city's famous catacombs.
What have the fans said?
Predictably, fans are thrilled by the announcement of the forthcoming series. "This is going to be a masterpiece," commented one fan under the new trailer. "YESSSSSSSSSSS finally Netflix does something right. A spin off we actually want," wrote another.
