Korean ‘Money Heist’ remake casts ‘Squid Game’ star Park Hae-Soo

Washington: Actor Park Hae-soo of ‘Squid Game’ fame is set to star in the Korean adaptation of the popular Spanish series ‘Money Heist (La Casa de Papel)’, Netflix announced on Tuesday.

According to Variety, Park is set to play Andres ‘Berlin’ de Fonollosa, one of the drama’s main characters. The news of his casting hits as the original series approaches the conclusion of its five-year run on December 3, and as the streamer revealed that Berlin is set to appear in an origin story spin-off scheduled for 2023.

Berlin was played by Spain’s Pedro Alonso in the original. Park is the first cast member of the Korean version to be announced.

“In the past five years, fans around the world have shown their love for the series. I hope our Korean version also receives your love and support,” said Park in a Korean video message, dressed in a dapper suit and holding one of the show’s signature heist masks.

He added, “It is an honour for me to participate in such a wonderful series and above all to make Berlin an amazing character. I’m sure the rest of the cast of the Korean version feels the same way as I do.”

“As an actor and as a fan of the series, I want to thank the cast and crew of ‘Money Heist’ for the great series they have created. We are looking forward to sharing the Korean version of Money Heist with you in 2022,” continued Park.

He thanked Pedro Alonso for giving him the “famous mask” and promised to give him the one they use in the Korean version next year in return.

The news of the Korean adaptation of ‘Money Heist’ was first unveiled last November. Series creator Alex Pina will executive produce while Kim Hong-sun will direct off a screenplay written by Ryu Yong-jae.

As per Variety, until the launch of ‘Squid Game’, ‘Money Heist’ was Netflix’s most-watched non-English-language drama, seen by 180 million households globally.