Two years after ‘La Casa de Papel’ finale, Netflix returns to hit franchise with spin-off ‘Berlin’which premieres today, Friday, December 29.

Pedro Alonso reprises his role as the carefree, sophisticated and slightly psychotic thief he played in the series, who now orchestrates a heist in Paris – with $48 million in loot – but of course, things don’t go according to plan. As the actor stated about the role, now “he’s funnier, more romantic. There’s something lighter in his DNA.”

Love is a huge theme in the spinoff. “Love is everything. But imagine Berlin in a romantic comedy,” the actor said with humor.

The new series, set long before the events of the first season of “La Casa de Papel”, depicts Berlin – Andrés de Fonollosa, as is his “real” name – at the height of his “career”.

The series will be an eight-episode prequel in which series protagonist Berlin is a master criminal and recruits a group of talented misfits to rob one of Paris’ top auction houses.

The official synopsis states: “There are only two things that are sure to turn a bad day into a great one: love and a payday worth millions. Berlin is in his golden years, a time when he still has no idea about his illness and is not trapped like a rat in the Spanish mint. Here he begins to prepare one of his most unusual heists: making 44 million worth of jewels disappear as if by magic. To do so, he’ll enlist the help of one of the three gangs he’s ever stolen with…”.

Alonso is joined in the cast by Michelle Jenner, Tristán Ulloa, Begoña Vargas, Julio Peña Fernández, Joel Sánchez, Samantha Siqueiros, Julien Paschal, Masi Rodríguez and Rachel Lascar. The series’ eight episodes were created by Álex Pina (La Casa de Papel, Sky Rojo) and Esther Martínez Lobato.