Netflix will produce a Korean version of its hit series Money Heist. A director for the series was also chosen.
According to a report by Variety, the project will be a collaboration with BH Entertainment and Contents Zium.
It can be recalled that several months ago, Netflix was exploring the possibility of developing a Korean version of the Spanish language series.
La Casa de Papel or Money Heist, a series that originally came out in 2017, became a major hit when it started airing on the streaming platform because of its global reach. The series has since spawned four seasons of elaborate scheming between members of the Spanish police and the team led by the Professor.
The first two seasons of the series covered the carefully planned operation against the Royal Mint of Spain. The last two seasons covered the attack on the Bank of Spain in an attempt to recover Rio, a member of the original team.
According to a report by All Kpop, the Korean production will be helmed by director Kim Hong Sun, whose small-screen credits include the suspense thrillers The Guest, Voice, and Black.
He will team up with writer Ryu Yong Jae, who has previously worked on Netflix original My Holo Love and the tVn series Psychopath Diary.
The Korean version of Money Heist will reportedly span 12 episodes but no casting announcement has been made yet.
Series creator Alex Pina expressed excitement over the Korean adaptation. He credited Korean creators for developing their language and audiovisual culture for years and said this was similar to the journey of Money Heist in crossing cultural borders to become a point of reference, especially among the young viewers.
He added that he found it fascinating that Koreans would take on the adaptation, adding that the action would take on a different dimension as it takes place in the Korean peninsula.
This is not the first time that Koreans have franchised foreign shows to create their own version. They recently released a Korean version of Keifer Sutherland's Designated Survivor, one season of Criminal Minds, and even took a shot at the legal drama Suits featuring Jang Dong Goon and Park Hyung Sik. Koreans also released their version of American shows like The Good Wife, Mistresses, and Entourage.
Even as the Korean production is poised t begin, the original version of Money Heist is working to release its fifth season. The last season was reportedly viewed by 65 million viewers on Netflix.
