'Berlin': 'Money Heist' spin-off arriving on Netflix

MANILA, Philippines — Bella ciao, "Money Heist." Hello, "Berlin."

Netflix recently announced that it has ordered a spinoff of their hit heist series "Money Heist" centering around fan-favorite Andrés de Fonollosa or Berlin, played by Pedro Alonso.

The announcement comes as the original show, also known as "La Casa De Papel," draws to a close with its final episodes dropping today on the streaming platform.

Berlin was the second-in-command during the primary heist of the Royal Mint of Spain in the series' earlier seasons, and planned the latter seasons' heist of the Bank of Spain heist with his brother The Professor and Palermo.

No additional details have been given other than a tentative release date in 2023.

In related news, Park Hae-soo — fresh off a stint in another Netflix hit, "Squid Game" and will play Berlin in the Korean version of "Money Heist "— gave a special message thanking Alonso and the rest of the team behind the original show.

"Thanks Pedro, for sending me this famous mask," Park Hae-Soo, holding the recognizable Salvador Dali mask work on the show. "In the Korean version we also have a special mask. When we show it, early next year, I'll give one to Pedro."

Among those joining Hae-soo in the Koran adaptation are Kim Ji-hun, Kim Yunjin, Jun Jong-Seo, and Yoo Ji-tae as the Professor. The original show's creator Alex Pina will serve as an executive producer while Kim Hong-sun directs.

Related: Cast of Korean adaptation 'Money Heist' revealed

According to Netflix, "Money Heist" was the streamer's most-watched non-English drama show, until it was surpassed by "Squid Game" earlier this year.

Netflix celebrated the final season of "La Casa de Papel" ("Money Heist") with cast and fans in an exciting live show event with special guests and exclusive content streamed globally. 

Álvaro Morte (El Professor), Úrsula Corberó (Tokyo), Pedro Alonso (Berlin) along with other members of La Banda and cast gathered to celebrate and share special moments from the series with never before seen assets and anecdotes. 

The hybrid event was attended by local celebrities and fans and streamed through a digital hub with simultaneous audio translation in 10 different languages. It was truly a global celebration of one of the most successful non-English speaking shows from Netflix. 

Highlights of the night included:

• Cecilia Krull joined live on stage and sang the theme song of the series, ‘My Life is Going On’

• Those who tuned into the event were privy to the official announcement of the ‘Berlin’ spin-off series, coming 2023 

• Ed Sheeran dropped in virtually to share his ‘audition tape’ for La Banda in a fictional UK version of the show, asking if his character could be named ‘Ipswich’ 

• Becky G sent her best wishes to everyone via video before debuting an exclusive teaser of her ‘Bella Ciao’ cover music video

• Fans of "Squid Game" got a surprise as Park Hae-soo, who will portray Berlin in the Korean adaptation of "La Casa de Papel" coming in 2022, joined the celebrations in a video. He sent his best wishes to all attending the event, holding an iconic mask, sent to him from Pedro Alonso, and promised to send the Korean mask to his counterpart when it is revealed next year.