The Maxima series, inspired by the life of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and starring Delfina Chávez, now has its first spin-off, The Other Royals – A Maxima Story.
Meanwhile, season 2 of “Maxima” will premiere domestically on March 14, followed by international release.
“In the second season, we introduced a little more of the Dutch royal family, but we didn’t get to use them all. We introduced Friso (Prince) of Orange-Nassau and Konstantin of the Netherlands, but we didn’t delve into their stories. There was a lot to tell,” said producer Rachel van Bommel.
In the spin-off, Van Bommel added, “‘Bridgerton’ also has ‘Queen Charlotte – The Bridgerton Story.'” The team will focus on Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau and Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Palme. When the series begins in 1999, the pair meet their future royal partners.
The five-hour series is produced by Millstreet Films in association with FBO and Beta Films. Starring Claire Bender as Princess Mabel and Bram Suiker as Prince Friso. Maxima director Saskia Diesing will co-direct with Hiba Vinck.
“We’re staying true to the series because it’s all about the female perspective,” added Justus Riesenkampff, vice president of Nordiques & Benelux at Beta Film. Or, Van Bommel points out, it’s simply about “the human perspective.”
“If you give birth and have to show yourself and your child to 17 million people, the audience will understand that feeling. They’re royalty, but you also have kids who become teenagers, fall in love, and sneak out of the house.”
Viewers may also like the spin-off’s darker storyline.
“Mabel appears in the second season, but her journey is much more tragic than Maxima’s. This serves as a counterpoint. Maxima seems almost untouchable at times. Everything goes well for her. Mabel and Margarita struggle more. And that, too, is actually very human,” said Riesenkampff.
“Máxima” depicts royal life, but it never loses sight of its Argentinian-born protagonist.
“We sometimes use archives in the series, which is helpful because you suddenly realize, ‘Oh, this actually happened.’ But because we’re so close to her, people see this more as an emotional journey than a historical drama,” van Bommel said.
“We did a special preview in Miami and were told that the audience really identified with them. They said, ‘We feel for her because she’s Hispanic and she’s an immigrant.’ She’s moving to another country and trying to integrate into this new culture. This is a story that has a very universal and urgent nature.”
“That’s one of the main reasons why Maxima was so successful internationally. It’s really a unique reinvention of the royal drama genre because it’s really about Maxima. We had to convince all the networks, all the buyers, all the viewers, and we did it,” Riesenkampff emphasized.
Still, the show is growing. Season 3 is already in production, and the second season will feature some bigger scenes, including the royal wedding.
“We start with a bang and end with the coronation (10 years later). That was definitely a challenge. So as soon as we started thinking about Season 2, we reached out to our makeup and wardrobe departments. Many of these events are televised and remain in everyone’s collective memory. Of course, we didn’t get the Valentino dress that Máxima wore, but they did a great job.”
“That’s the next step. What will their lives be like after the coronation? They will become king and queen and a whole new chapter in their lives will begin.”
Riesenkampf added: “Many European producers wouldn’t even go there, but Rachel succeeded with a budget that others would say would only make for a ‘local’ show. It’s rare to get something like this made outside of Europe. This is a clear sign that you don’t need 100 million to make an effective series.”
However, what is needed is many collaborators willing to go the extra mile.
“The wedding will take place in a church in the middle of Amsterdam. Normally you would say, ‘I’m not going there.'” In this case, Amsterdam Public Administration worked with us. Because everyone felt like it needed to be authentic. We couldn’t shoot in a studio,” Van Bommel said.
“Maxima is a perfect example of how we can collaborate with different parties, from beta film to RTL. It doesn’t have to be just one streamer greenlighting something.”
There may be more to come after “The Other Royals.”
“There are so many opportunities to tell different stories in completely different formats. It’s a really big family and there’s drama everywhere,” Van Bommel laughed.
