Money Heist (, ) is a Spanish heist crime drama media franchise centered on the television series Money Heist, which followed two long-prepared heists led by the Professor. Created by Álex Pina, the narrative of the series is told in a real-time-like fashion, relying on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator (Tokyo) for complexity.
The original series premiered on Spanish network Antena 3 on May 2, 2017, initially intended as a two-part, 15-episode limited series. With positive reviews and despite little ratings success during its initial run, it went on to become an international hit when the first part was released on Netflix in late 2017. Due to its success, Netflix bought the rights from Antena 3's parent company, Atresmedia Televisión, and ordered 26 additional episodes that were released as three subsequent parts. The fifth and final part was released in two volumes, on September 3 and December 3, 2021. Following the series' conclusion, a South Korean remake, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, was released in two parts on June 24 and December 9, 2022, and received positive reviews. A spin-off of the original series, Berlin, premiered on 29 December 2023.
In addition to the television series, the making-of documentary films, Money Heist: The Phenomenon and Money Heist: From Tokyo to Berlin, were released between 2020 and 2021. A video game was also released in 2024.
Background The initial idea for Money Heist dates back to sometime during creator and head writer Álex Pina and director Jesús Colmenar's years of collaboration at Globomedia, where they first coincided in 2008. In spring 2016, after production of the second season of Locked Up ended, the two left Globomedia to start their own production company, Vancouver Media, and their two options for the company's debut project were a comedy project and a heist story for television, before ultimately settling for the latter. Pina and Colmenar started developing the series, then titled Los desahuciados (), alongside former Globomedia and Locked Up colleagues, as a passion project to try new things without outside interference. Pina eventually pitched the series to Atresmedia's then-Head of Fiction, Sonia Martínez, who told him to "do it".
The series was first announced in November 2016 as a limited television series, something that Pina was firm about as he felt that dilution had become a problem for his previous productions. The limited series was then split into two parts, shot back-to-back due to financial necessity. Casting took place in late 2016 and filming began in late January 2017. The series premiered on Atresmedia's main television network Antena 3 on May 2, 2017, and while its first episode ended up being the most-viewed premiere for a Spanish series since Down Below in April 2015, ratings quickly declined during the show's first part, despite positive reviews, and fell even further during the second part, before ending on November 23, 2017. After the first part finished, Netflix included it in its catalogue in Spain after acquiring the series in July 2017, with plans for an international release in Autumn of that year.
On December 20, 2017, one month after Money Heist ended on Antena 3, Netflix released the first part outside Spain without any promotion, re-cutting its nine 70-minute episodes into 13 50-minute episodes. A similar recut was done to the second part of the series, with its six episodes being turned into nine, which was released outside Spain on April 6, 2018. Despite giving it no promotion, the series became an unexpected international hit on Netflix and went on to become the most-watched foreign-language series in the service's history at the time. As a result of this success, in April 2018, after the release of the second part on the service, Netflix bought the rights to Money Heist from Atresmedia and announced that it would produce a third part, which was shot back-to-back with an additional fourth part, much like the first two parts. The third and fourth parts were released on July 19, 2019, and April 3, 2020, respectively. In July 2020, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth and final part, which was itself separated in two volumes that were released on September 3 and December 3, 2021, respectively. In June 2020, BH Entertainment and Zium Content entered negotiations with Netflix for a potential South Korean remake of Money Heist. In December 2020, the remake was officially announced and greenlit with a total of 12 episodes. Much like the original series, the remake, titled Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area, was split into two parts, with the first part being released on June 24, 2022, on Netflix, and the second part being released on December 9, 2022.
In November 2021, shortly before the release of Money Heist'''s final episodes, Netflix announced that it had commissioned a spin-off series titled Berlin, starring Pedro Alonso's character from the original series, with a 2023 release date. On September 28, 2022, Michelle Jenner, Begoña Vargas, Tristán Ulloa, Julio Peña Fernández and Joel Sánchez were cast to co-star alongside Alonso. In March 2023, it was announced that Itziar Ituño and Najwa Nimri would also be reprising their roles as Raquel Murillo and Alicia Sierra from Money Heist. Filming began in October 2022 in Paris, France, and continued in Madrid, Spain. In February 2023, the series was scheduled via a teaser trailer to be released on Netflix in December 2023. In September 2023, Netflix announced that Berlin would be released on the service on December 29, 2023. In November 2023, Netflix released the final trailer of the series.
Television series
Money Heist (2017–2021)
The first two parts of Money Heist follow a mysterious man in Madrid, Sergio Marquina (Álvaro Morte), better known as "the Professor", who recruits a group of eight people, who choose city names as their aliases – Silene Oliveira "Tokyo" (Úrsula Corberó), Andrés de Fonollosa "Berlin" (Pedro Alonso), Agustín Ramos "Moscow" (Paco Tous), Ágata Jiménez "Nairobi" (Alba Flores), Aníbal Cortés "Rio" (Miguel Herrán), Daniel Ramos "Denver" (Jaime Lorente), Mirko Dragić "Helsinki" (Darko Perić) and Radko Dragić "Oslo" (Roberto García Ruiz) –, to carry out an ambitious plan that involves entering the Royal Mint of Spain, and escaping with €2.4 billion. After taking 67 people hostage inside the Mint, the team plans to remain inside for 11 days to print the money as they deal with elite police forces.
In parts three to five, after the events of the heist on the Mint, the group's members are forced out of hiding after Río is caught thanks to an intercepted phone, and prepare for a second heist, this time on the Bank of Spain, with some additional members – Martín Berrote "Palermo" (Rodrigo de la Serna), Santiago Lopez "Bogotá" (Hovik Keuchkerian) and Jakov "Marseille" (Luka Peroš)–, to force Europol to hand over Rio and prevent his torture. After entering the Bank, they aim to escape with gold, as they deal once again with hostages and police forces.
Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area (2022)
As a remake of Money Heist, Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area follows a similar story to that of the original series. Set in a reunified Korea that came to be due to a Joint Economic Area built at the expense of the lower classes, strategist criminal mastermind Park Sun-ho (Yoo Ji-tae), nicknamed "the Professor", enlists a group of people, who choose city names as their aliases – Lee Hong-dan "Tokyo" (Jeon Jong-seo), Song Jung-ho "Berlin" (Park Hae-soo), Oh Man-sik "Moscow" (Lee Won-jong), Sim Young-mun "Nairobi" (Jang Yoon-ju), Han Joseph "Rio" (Lee Hyun-woo), Oh Taek-su "Denver" (Kim Ji-hoon), Ko Myung-tae "Helsinki" (Kim Ji-hun) and Lee Sang-yeon "Oslo" (Lee Kyu-ho) – to pull a ₩4 trillion heist on the Mint based in the Joint Economic Area. After successfully entering the Mint and taking the hostages inside, the team attempts to remain inside for enough days to print the money while the police tries to stop them.
Berlin (2023 - present)
Set in an "undefined past" before the events of Money Heist, Berlin focuses on Berlin while at his prime, as he prepares one of his most extraordinary heists in his career as a robber: stealing €44 million in jewels as if it was an illusionism act. To do this, he has the help of one of the three gangs he has robbed with in his life, formed by Keila (Michelle Jenner), Damián (Tristán Ulloa), Cameron (Begoña Vargas), Bruce (Joel Sánchez) and Roi (Julio Peña Fernández).
Documentaries
Money Heist: The Phenomenon (2020)
A documentary involving the producers and the cast of Money Heist, titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon (), was released to Netflix on April 3, 2020. Looking at "how Money Heist became a global phenomenon", the series focuses on the series' "unexpected rise in popularity", its acquisition by Netflix, and its impact on culture across the world. It breaks down the production of the series, and includes interviews with the creators, cast and crew of the show.
Money Heist: From Tokyo to Berlin (2021) A two-part sequel documentary, titled and focusing on the production of the 26 additional episodes and the overall creation of the franchise of a whole, was released on 3 September and 3 December 2021, respectively, simultaneously with the final season of Money Heist.
Recurring cast and characters
Character Money Heist Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Berlin Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Vol. 1 Part 5 Vol. 2 Part 1 Part 2 Tokyo Úrsula Corberó Jeon Jong-seo The Professor Álvaro Morte Yoo Ji-tae Lisbon Itziar Ituño Yunjin Kim Itziar Ituño Berlin Pedro Alonso Park Hae-soo Pedro Alonso Moscow Paco Tous Lee Won-jong Nairobi Alba Flores Jang Yoon-ju Rio Miguel Herrán Lee Hyun-woo Denver Jaime Lorente Kim Ji-hoon Stockholm Esther Acebo Lee Joo-bin Arturo Román / Cho Young-min Enrique Arce Park Myung-hoon Helsinki Darko Perić Kim Ji-hun Ángel Rubio / Captain Cha Moo-hyuk Fernando Soto Kim Sung-oh Suárez Mario de la Rosa Alberto Vicuña / Kim Sang-man Miquel García Borda Miquel García Borda Miquel García Borda Jang Hyun-sung Mariví Fuentes Kiti Mánver Uncredited actress Oslo Roberto García Ruiz Roberto García Ruiz Lee Kyu-ho Alison Parker / Anne Kim María Pedraza Lee Si-woo Colonel Alfonso Prieto Juan Fernández Juan Fernández Paula Vicuña Murillo Naia Guz Mercedes Colmenar Anna Gras Ariadna Cascales Clara Alvarado Torres Antonio Cuellar Rodriguez Pablo Ruiz Fran Morcillo César Gandía José Manuel Poga Bogotá Hovik Keuchkerian Palermo Rodrigo de la Serna Alicia Sierra Najwa Nimri Najwa Nimri Marseille Luka Peroš Manila Belén Cuesta Colonel Luis Tamayo Fernando Cayo Pamplona Ahikar Azcona Benito Antoñanzas Antonio Romero Tatiana Diana Gómez Mario Urbaneja Pep Munné Amanda Olalla Hernández Paquita Mari Carmen Sánchez Miguel Fernández Carlos Suárez Logroño Ramón Agirre Lasarte Antonio García Ferreras Himself Sagasta José Manuel Seda Rafael Patrick Criado Ramiro Alberto Amarilla Arteche Jennifer Miranda René Miguel Ángel Silvestre Keila Michelle Jenner Damián Tristán Ulloa Cameron Begoña Vargas Bruce Joel Sánchez Roi Julio Peña Fernández
Reception Critical reception