Berlin on Netflix: Release date, cast, teaser, and more about the Money Heist spinoff series

Netflix is slated to drop a Money Heist spinoff series titled Berlin on December 29, 2023, to commemorate the year's end on a thrilling note. The upcoming eight-episode-long series will serve as a prequel to the popular Netflix series, which concluded in 2021 after a five-season successful run.

The series is named after the fictional character Berlin, aka Andrés de Fonollosa, from Money Heist and will chronicle the terminally ill conman's life before he became involved in The Professor's notorious gang. Berlin sacrifices his life and dies during a police encounter in the Money Heist season 2 finale to help the gang escape. He occasionally appears in flashback sequences in the later seasons.

Sources have confirmed that Pedro Alonso will return for the prequel alongside a few other big names, as seen in the latest teaser. The upcoming prequel comes from the original creator of the Spanish language series, Alex Pina, who also serves as producer. Esther Martínez Lobato, David Oliva, and David Barrocal serve as writers.

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Netflix's Money Heist spinoff Berlin focuses on the titular character's life before his involvement with The Professor

As mentioned, Berlin drops later this year on December 29, 2023. It will witness the return of Pedro Alonso's titular character, originally Andrés de Fonollosa, from Netflix's Money Heist. The prequel will explore the fictional character's journey before his involvement in The Professor's gang and his ultimate demise.

Considering Money Heist's success over the years, the spinoff does not come as a surprise, as the creators have always looked forward to expanding the universe. To do so, they start with the story of the ruthless conman and jewel thief who sacrificed his life to save his gang from getting caught at the end of season 2.

Berlin was equally loved and hated by all and is depicted at his peak in the official teaser, which was dropped earlier this year. He is seen plotting a heist with his gang to steal €44 million from one of the top auction houses in Paris but soon starts an affair with the wife of the same auction house's owner.

The official synopsis, as per Netflix, states:

"Back to his golden age before the events of Money Heist, Berlin, and a masterful gang gather in Paris to plan one of his most ambitious robberies ever."

As seen in the teaser clips, the titular character will differ from what he was like in Money Heist. This time, Alonso plays a more relaxed and energetic thief in contrast to his terminally ill character, who was The Professor's second-in-command irrational elder brother.

Months back, the streaming service released a "character introduction" video to announce the official cast and all the new crew members who are now a part of the franchise.

Fansided listed the official cast for the upcoming eight-episode-long show:

• Pedro Alonso as Berlin
• Michelle Jenner as Keila
• Begoña Vargas as Cameron
• Julio Peña as Roi
• Tristán Ulloa as Damián
• Joel Sánchez as Bruce
• Yuri D. Brown as Bertrand
• Marcel Gonzalez as Jean
• Miko Jarry as Olivier
• Julien Paschal as Polignac
• Itziar Ituño as Raquel Murillo
• Najwa Nimri as Alicia Sierra

The outlet mentioned that Ituño will be reprising her role as Murillo, a policewoman from Money Heist. Similarly, Nimri will be returning as Inspector Sierra.

Collider reported that the plot for Berlin will be set before the events of Money Heist and will solely focus on the escapades of the titular character, since he was once a part of his own gang, and explore his overall evolution, among other story arcs.

An official Netflix report mentioned a conversation between Alex Pina and Pedro Alonso at a global event. The duo described Berlin as "a trip through the golden age of the character when he robbed around Europe crazy in love." Pina also tells Alonso,

"Essentially, it’s a series full of white-collar crimes, tension, travel, romance, and, most interestingly, a sense of humor. That’s the most surprising, the comedy. You’re going to make people laugh a lot."

The show takes place in Paris and Madrid and will premiere this December. The first episode is titled Historias de Paris, which translates to Paris Stories.