Alex Pina, the creator of the Spanish-language Netflix hit Money Heist, will make “an apocalyptic high-concept,” show inspired by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The yet-to-be-titled series is set in a posh underground bunker where the country’s few percent of population hide to avoid catastrophe on the surface. Pina claimed the show is inspired by a Spanish newspaper article from October 9, 2021, about wealthy Spaniards buying bunkers in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Alex Pina was reported as saying, “Some of the new shelters that were being built were luxury homes in the subsoil…” Alex continued to mention that the shelters were up to 15 floors down, with exclusive services, such as pool, gym, spa, cinema, and common gardens, with food and water to survive more than five years.
An underground community for 75 people. And then they thought about what life would be like there. Family, social, and romantic relationships, in an underground shelter to which they had hastily and exclusively fled.
Pina is also creating the Money Heist spin-off Berlin, a prequel focused on the backstory of the character played by Pedro Alonso in the original series, through his Madrid-based production company Vancouver Media. It will be available on the streaming platform, Netflix in 2024.
Money Heist was originally made for Spanish television network Antenna 3 in 2017, but it became a worldwide hit on Netflix. Netflix released the final five episodes of the original series on December 3. Before Squid Game, it was Netflix’s most-watched non-English-language drama, with 180 million households globally.
Netflix had a global exclusive overall deal with Pina in 2018, making it one of the company’s first non-English-language creators.
Pina told The Hollywood Reporter that the success of his Netflix partnership, in addition to Money Heist, Pina and Vancouver Media have produced crime drama Sky Rojo and the British-Spanish mystery-thriller White Lines for the streaming platform, was proof of Netflix’s “commitment to local talent wherever they are.”
Netflix’s vice president of content for Spain and Portugal, Diego Avalos, said that after the great adventure that has been Money Heist, they are very excited to remain a home for him, for Vancouver and all the stories that are to come.
Money Heist is also being adapted into a Korean series, Money Heist: Korea- Joint Economic Area, which will star Park Hae-soo, Yoo Ji-tae, Ki Ji-hoon, Lee Won-jong, and many more. In January, the streaming platform, Netflix dropped its first look teaser. Later this year, the show will launch.
In December 2021, La Casa De Papel, or Money Heist in English, achieved a near-perfect finish with its fifth season. Alex Pina’s creation, which lasted more than four years, did leave people wanting more.
Published by: Shivani Bhalke
Edited by: Subbuthai Padma
