Money Heist showrunners create ‘new universe’ for fan favorite Berlin
MANILA, Philippines — Money Heist’s fan favorite character Berlin gets his spinoff series and the production officially started this month.
This is what we know so far: Spanish star Pedro Alonso reprises his role of Berlin in the upcoming Netflix series of the same title. A new gang — played by Michelle Jenner, Tristan Ulloa, Begona Vargas, Julio Peña Fernandez and Joel Sanchez — joins him in carrying out his most extraordinary heists in this offshoot of the hit Spanish crime drama La Casa de Papel, known globally as the five-season Money Heist.
During a virtual global presscon recently, creators Esther Martinez Lobato and Alex Pina said that Berlin deserves to be placed in another universe and they loved the idea of introducing a new band of robbers around the titular character in a “completely different emotional state.”
Pina said, “It’s a project that we started a while ago precisely because we have a 360-degree personality that allows you to be a generous character, romantic character, egocentric character and cruel character as well. It’s a character that allows us to be free while writing.
“And there’s never a clear roadmap because at any point, he might short circuit or give us a ton of love. We want to explore this personality. Yeah, we had been working around it for a while. I believe that Berlin is the result of first of all, how we can travel through this person and second, how we can visit this bit of a lighter, comic and more romantic side of the character without losing the psychopath trait that Berlin has. That’s how Berlin was born.”
Meanwhile, Lobato refused to address the question if Money Heist’s other beloved characters will appear in Berlin. “Well, we can not say anything about it because it will be a spoiler. If it does or doesn’t have, we will be generating all this fake anticipation,” she said.
One thing’s for sure, they said they have made a huge effort to ensure that Berlin has its own identity.
“It’s been extremely hard. I believe we have created a series of its own, irrespective of the fact Berlin comes from another show that’s very important for all of us. But the idea of making it autonomous and being part of its own genre and its own genuine stories, was what we thought as the most important (thing) since we started. I believe we’ve made it,” Lobato said.
Meanwhile, Berlin is going to be set in an “undetermined past.”
“We had some ideas because it makes sense from a chronological perspective. But it has to take place in the past because we know how the character ended,” Pina said.
Lobato also noted how making the spinoff is “very difficult” because fans know very well how he ended — he’s dead — although certain Money Heist episodes revealed a bit of his past life.
She added, “The main challenge has been to go back in time, go back in the character’s life and reinvent things that we don’t actually expect from him.”
The creators, nevertheless, promised a new and distinct universe for Berlin in the series. “Of course, it has some links with the past because quite clearly, the character comes from the same universe, but we have created a different universe (for him),” Pina said.
“I believe they share a profession. He’s a robber. He hadn’t been a gigolo before that. He’s always been a robber. So, we are all expecting robberies.”
The show will also feature different locales as filming takes place in Paris, France besides Madrid, Spain. “We are still writing, you know… We’re filming while we are writing. So, we don’t really know what’s going to happen,” Pina further said.
Meanwhile, asked what’s to be expected from his character, Alonso laughingly teased, “Well, I’m not dead.”
In a previous STAR interview, Alonso shared that playing Berlin in the globally successful Money Heist reinforced his intentions as an actor. “I will do my best and say to people, okay, we receive your love, I’m going (to work) harder to the end of my intentions. Now, I can only say my thank you and appreciate this impossible miracle that happened to us,” he then said.
What does he continue to find “most exciting” about portraying Berlin?
It’s a “gift that keeps on giving,” he said, while likening the experience as getting the keys to a theme park. “It’s a theme park that has shown me that he can survive death, he can survive limbo, hell and the dark side, and he’s able to survive the sight of light,” he said.
He hinted that the series will be “lighter” and “more comfortable,” confirmed by Pina in consideration of what the world has been through these past few years, from the COVID pandemic to the threat of war in Europe. The writer said the characters in Berlin are more light, bright and fun to play with.
Berlin also reminds Alonso of classic cinema. “It brings me back to the films that I used to watch, some of the big ones when they were walking on style and adventure,” he said.
Alonso waxed nostalgic by saying that he has thought of “old colleagues” in Money Heist. “Of course, they are very dear to my heart, but life allows you to find people like Michelle, I have always wanted to work with her, and other amazing talents who have gone through 1,000 filters to get here. These people are well-resilient. And now my beloved Tristan. When we were 15, we were in school plays together. I think that’s actually a miracle (to be working with him). So, I’m very thankful to be able to continue with this adventure.”
In the eight-episode drama, Alonso returns to the role of the hedonistic and clever Berlin. He is joined by Jenner, who plays Keila, an electronic engineering expert; Ulloa as Damian, a philanthropic professor and Berlin’s confidante; Vargas as Cameron, a kamikaze who always lives on the edge; Fernandez as Roi, Berlin’s loyal aide; and Sanchez as Bruce, the relentless man of action in the group.
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