Squid Game star Park Hae-soo scores lead role in Korean version of Money Heist
If you're Netflix and you have two wildly popular international hits on your hands, what do you do? Why, find a way to combine them, of course!
The streaming giant announced Tuesday that Squid Game breakout Park Hae-soo — better known to fans of the addictive South Korean social satire as bespectacled financial fraudster Cho Sang-woo — will play Berlin in the upcoming Korean version of its Spanish crime drama Money Heist (a.k.a. La Casa de Papel).
Berlin, portrayed by Pedro Alonso in the original series, is a terminally ill, morally ambiguous jewel thief who quickly became a fan favorite, albeit a controversial one, thanks to his dichotomous personality. He's cruel, sadistic, violent, and even committed an act of sexual assault during a heist. He's also been known to belt a love song with a chorus of monks chanting backup.
The Chosunilbo JNS/Imazins via Getty Images Park Hae-soo
Park is the first announced cast member for the Korean adaptation of Money Heist, which will be directed by Kim Hong-sun (L.U.C.A.: The Beginning); the writing will be spearheaded by Ryu Yong-jae (Psychopath Diary).
Then again, judging by the popularity of Squid Game and the size of its impressive cast, it's not unimaginable that Park could be joined by some of his fellow tracksuited alumni.
Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk recently told EW he has designs on a second season, while the first iteration of Money Heist will conclude when Netflix releases its final episodes this Friday.
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