'Money Heist' director on final five episodes: 'This volume is a special one'

A spin-off based on the character of Berlin has also been announced, as has a South Korean adaptation of the show

'Money Heist' creator Alex Pina says final episodes of the show will be searingly emotional. Photo: AFP

The Money Heist (La Casa De Papel) saga is coming to an end, and its last five episodes, which will be released on Netflix on Friday, may be the most poignant yet.

This may be hard to believe, given the explosive conclusion to the first volume of season five and the heavy losses incurred by the Bella Ciao gang, but series creator Alex Pina said the last stretch of the heist will be searingly emotional, “linking everyone together” and laying down “all the pieces of the puzzle."

“The first volume [of part five] was emotional, but the second is way more emotional,” Pina said, speaking at a press conference, which was held virtually on Tuesday.

“We’re closing the circle on who the characters are, and giving answers to help understand the whole universe of Money Heist.”

Pina said the writing team were intent on neatly tying the unravelled plot threads together by the show’s conclusion, and had to do it in “record time.”

“There were some twists and turns we had to compress,” he said. “When we finished writing the last season, we were exhausted.”

Jesus Colmenar, an executive producer and director of the show, said the first volume of the season, with its high-octane scenes and ricocheting plot, was “one of the most brutal experiences for the cast and crew.”

While the second volume doles adrenalin in spades, and has plenty of unexpected twists, it unfolds at a different pace, Colmenar said.

“It’s not such a war-like confrontation. It’s a series that is always in crescendo, up until the end of the last episode, but this volume is a special one and different than what we’ve done until now.”

The show’s cast seemed to agree.

Alvaro Morte, who plays the calculative Professor, said his character sometimes comes across as a “marvellous robot”, but hinted that his human side is going to be more salient in the show’s final chapter.

“Something I really like about the Professor is when he shows his humanity,” he said. “When I’m able to connect to that humane side of him, I love that.”

To depict a character’s humane aspect is often dependent on showing the mistakes they make and how they go about overcoming the consequences, Morte said.

“The Professor is not perfect. Those cracks in the character are the ones that I’m more excited about.”

The Professor will be forced to make some hard decisions in the last few episodes.

Morte alluded to one in particular, “a decision that is not 100 per cent right”, and though he did not divulge any details, he said his character will have to do his utmost to get ahead of the situation.

“The truth is it’s one mess following another. In any case, it’s very, very fun.”

When asked about the show’s global appeal, Ursula Corbero, who plays Tokyo, said it was hard to pinpoint what led to the show’s sensational popularity, but that it perhaps had a lot to do with the universal themes the show touches upon.

“I think there’s something going on with the characters, and it has a lot to do with family, love, brotherhood and sisterhood,” she said. “There are different elements in the show that are universal and relatable. Things that go beyond borders.”

Although the adventures of the Salvador Dali-masked gang are drawing to a close, the world of Money Heist will carry on. A spin-off of the show based on Berlin, The Professor’s brother and second-in-command, is in the works.

Titled Berlin: A New Series, the drama will debut in 2023 and will presumably be a prequel to Money Heist. Pedro Alonso will be reprising the role for the project.

“It is a memorable moment because it is the end of one cycle and the beginning of another,” Alonso said at a fan event in Madrid on Tuesday. “I’m so happy about it.”

“I am deeply grateful to be able to connect with people all over the world and receive so much love and such a memorable time. We started this series walking into the unknown and we have been winning ever since. You fans are our accomplices and thank you for that.”

A South Korean adaptation of Money Heist has also been announced by Netflix. Squid Game star Park Hae-soo is set to play Berlin in the remake. No other details on the cast have yet been announced.

The series will be directed by Kim Hong-sun, who is seasoned in the fantasy crime genre and has helmed dramas including Black and The Guest. A team of writers headed by Ryu Yong-jae, who penned the Netflix series My Holo Love, will develop the remake’s script.