MONEY HEIST: THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE NETFLIX HIT
Here are the facts you might not know about the global hit series.
Netflix just released the 5th and final season of Money Heist (La Casa de Papel). Currently, this Spanish crime drama series is one of the most popular Netflix shows on the streaming platform. Money Heist first aired in May 2017. Since then, it has become a huge global phenomenon.
The series follows the Professor (Álvaro Morte), a criminal mastermind who brings eight thieves together to take hostages and lock themselves in the Royal Mint of Spain as he manipulates the police to carry out his plan.
Before you enjoy the last ride with Money Heist, here are the things you probably didn’t know about the Netflix hit.
This is the last season
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Money Heist Season 5 will be the final season to air on Netflix, according to the company. This final season will be split into two parts. You can watch the first part on Netflix since September 3, 2021. While the second part will air on December 3, 2021.
Each part of this season has five episodes released at once. While the previous four seasons consisted of six to eight episodes.
New and old characters in season 5
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Money Heist will introduce three new characters, starred by Miguel Angel Silvestre, Patrick Criado, and Jose Manuel Seda. The latter will play Sagasta, the cold and ruthless commander of the Spanish Army Special Forces who wants to bring down the Professor’s gang once and for all.
You could also see the comeback of Nairobi and Berlin. They both, spoiler alert, died on the last seasons. But you could see them again through flashbacks.
It was a flop show in Spain
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La Casa de Papel first aired on Spanish Channel Antena 3 in May 2017. The first episode was a big hit, but then it went on viewership dropped off. So much that the series was canceled. The cast and crew even had to accept that it was a flop.
Until Netflix quietly picked up the show and renamed it Money Heist. It became a rage worldwide. For Netflix, the 15-episode miniseries were shortened to 22 episodes. The show's popularity was such that the creators had no choice but to continue the plot and generate new seasons.
Netflix comes to the rescue
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Before Netflix came, the series was managed on a smaller budget, not many locations were used during filming. The cast and crew never even left the streets of Madrid.
After Netflix came with their big check, suddenly the show got access to private islands, expensive helicopters, and Thai Buddhist temples. Those things really cost a lot of money. But also kind of the right choices since they increase the tension and attract larger audiences.
The episodes were written continuously
Usually, a series’ scripts are written all the way through, from the beginning to the end, even before the pilot episode airs. But it’s different with Money Heist, the scripts are written alongside filming.
The writers sit down every so often and write the next few following episodes. They want to see how the audience reacts to certain things and scenes and then they decide what they will do next.
The original title
Money Heist’s original title is La Casa de Papel. In Spanish, it translates as The House of Paper. It sounds like the perfect title. But actually, it was not their first choice.
The creator, Alex Pina, initially used the title Los Desahuciados which translates to “The Outcasts”. Fortunately, he changed his mind and chose the name ‘La Casa de Papel’ since the opening scene where the cast is robbing the Royal Mint is essentially nothing more than a ‘paper house’.
They choose the names unintentionally
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The characters' names in Money Heist are very unique. They each use a name of a famous city. It turns out it was not really planned.
When the show’s creator Alex Pina came to work using a shirt with the word “Tokyo” on it, his colleague Jesus Colmenar was inspired to use it as a way to name the characters. And, it was such a good choice.
The Professor’s secret name
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Money Heist characters go by the names of famous cities around the world, except for one. The mastermind behind the robbery, The Professor, is a totally different character. He’s unique not only by his character but also by the name.
But do you know that he actually has a secret name? The Professor has an unofficial city name, Vatican City. The name was chosen because it is a very well-protected city, mysterious, and filled with knowledge. It is basically the perfect name for the character that Alvaro Morte plays.
The Dali tribute
You may notice the robbers are wearing Dali masks in the robbery. It was actually a hidden tribute for Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali who’s famous for his surrealist paintings and anti-modern capitalist views. The Spanish people are a proud nation, and the show used his infamous face as a mask as a way to pay respect and attract attention.
Tokyo initially wasn’t the narrator
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Tokyo (Ursula Corbero) wasn’t intended to be the series’ narrator. Using The Professor’s perspective was really more logical. But then, they decided it would be too narcissistic for him to do it. They also wanted a female voice doing the narration given the fact they had such a male-dominated cast.
Made as real as possible
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The creators wanted to make the show as real as possible. So they use a real gold vault. In the event of a breach, it floods with water. It's actually an element of the Bank of Spain's real-life security system. They then enlisted the expertise of a marine engineer to create an antechamber that can deal with the defense system.
They also had 6,000 gold ingots (gold bars) made as props, as well as one million €50 banknotes manufactured for the scene in which notes are scattered in the streets of Madrid.
Neymar Jr. was a cameo
Money Heist is loved all over the globe by everyone. Including one of the most famous footballers in the world, Neymar Jr. The Paris Saint Germain’s player is such a huge fan. He contacted the production and asked to be a part of the show.
If you look really closely in the third season, there is a scene where a Brazillian monk named Joao. Well, you might not recognize him immediately, but he is Neymar.
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