Netflix to adapt Money Heist for Korea

La Casa de Papel is Netflix’s most watched non-English-language series

Netflix is working on a South Korean remake of its international heist drama La Casa de Papel (Money Heist), set on the Korean peninsula.

The South Korean adaptation of the Spanish-language show, which is Netflix’s most watched non-English-language series, will be helmed by Kim Hong-sun (Black, The Guest), while Ryu Young-jae (My Holo Love) will lead the screenwriting team.

Kim Hong-sun

BH Entertainment and Contents Zium will produce the 12-episode series, which follows a genius mastermind who links up with a team of thieves with diverse skills and personalities to pull off an ambitious heist.

Netflix agreed an exclusive overall deal with the show’s creator and executive producer, Alex Pina, in 2018 after Money Heist became a hit on the streamer.

The show debuted on Antena 3 in Spain before going global on Netflix, which launched the fourth season earlier this year.

Alex Pina

More than 65 million member households watched the season in the first four weeks of its release in April, according to Netflix, and the fifth and final run is currently in production.

Pina said: “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.

“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.”