From Nairobi to Tokyo: First teaser of Korean 'Money Heist' reveals your favourite robbers
Netflix has so far released a vast number of foreign shows. However, Spanish crime-thriller La Casa De Papel aka Money Heist has managed to break several records to go on and cement its status as one of the most-watched ventures of the streaming giant. The final installment of the series was recently concluded, giving a satisfying ending to the heist.
However, if you thought you has seen the last of the infamous Professor, well - think again.
The first teaser of the Korean adaptation of Money Heist has been released by Netflix. While the Korean drama industry has reached unprecedented heights with its latest offering, Squid Game, fans seem to be equally excited for the upcoming take on the binge-worthy Spanish thriller.
The minute-and-a-half-long teaser sees the Professor in the midst of planning the robbery. According to the description of the show, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area will feature “a genius strategist and his talented crew — composed of top-class thieves — attempting to pull off an unprecedented heist (on) the Korean peninsula."
The announcement further added, “The story portrays unexpected twists and turns as the crew stage a hostage (event) while facing inexplicable challenges. All eyes are focused on the background and definition behind the title Joint Economic Area.“
While the Korean remake will follow roughly the same storyline and characters as the original (it is a remake, after all), there will be changes that inherently come with the different setting and language. The first season of Money Heist: Korea will be 12 episodes, versus the original’s 15-episode first season (broken out into two parts).
Furthermore, this Korean remake directed by Kim Hong-sun will present viewers with the same conceit as the original. There’s a “professor” again, in other words, who directs a group of criminals named after the same cities as in the original. Berlin (played by Park Hae-soo); Tokyo (Jun Jong-seo); Moscow (Lee Won-jong); Denver (Kim Ji-hun); Nairobi (Jang Yoon-ju); Rio (Lee Hyun-woo); Helsinki (Kim Ji-hoon); and Oslo (Lee Kyu-ho).
Here's who's playing who in the Korean show:
The Professor:
Inspector Raquel:
Tokyo:
Berlin:
Rio:
Denver:
Nairobi:
Helsinki:
Moscow:
Oslo:
As for the original Money Heist, part two of the show’s fifth and final season was released in early December. And it’s still racking up the viewing hours on Netflix’s global Top 10 ranking, cementing the series’ status as one of the streamer’s biggest releases of all time.
From January 3-January 9, that second half of Money Heist season five was the #6 non-English show on Netflix globally. That’s according to Netflix Top 10 data that it produces on a weekly basis. Through the week ending January 9? The second part of Money Heist season five had spent 12 weeks on Netflix’s global Top 10 list. And in that 7-day period alone, viewers spent almost 19 million hours watching the show.
All of which, consequently, suggests that the forthcoming Korean remake will almost surely rank as one of the top Netflix 2022 series, once it debuts on the streamer.
Previously, the makers of Spanish Money Heist spoke about the Korean rendition of their fan-favourite.
“Korean creators have been developing their own language and audiovisual culture for years. They have managed, like our series, to go beyond cultural borders and become a point of reference for thousands of viewers around the world, especially among young people,” said Alex Pina, creator and executive producer of La Casa de Papel.
“That is why I find it fascinating that the world of La Casa de Papel is so attractive to Korean creators as to do an adaptation. The fact that the action is set on the Korean Peninsula also seems to me to be a milestone which I am really delighted about.”
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