‘Maxima’ spin-off ‘The Other Royals
The ‘Maxima’ franchise, inspired by the life of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands and starring Delfina Chaves, gets its first spin-off: ‘The Other Royals – A Maxima Story.’
In the meantime, Season 2 of ‘Maxima’ will premiere locally on March 14, followed by an international rollout.
“In the second season we introduced the Dutch royal family a little more, but we couldn’t use everything. We’re showing it [Princes] Friso of Orange-Nassau and Constantijn of the Netherlands, but we never delve into their stories. There was so much more to tell,” said producer Rachel van Bommel.
In the spin-off – “Even ‘Bridgerton’ has ‘Queen Charlotte – A Bridgerton Story’”, says van Bommel – the team will focus on Princess Mabel of Orange-Nassau and Princess Margarita de Bourbon de Parme. In 1999, when the series begins, they both meet their future royal partners.
The five-hour series is produced by Millstreet Films in co-production with FBO and Beta Film. Claire Bender stars as Princess Mabel and Bram Suijker as Prince Friso. Saskia Diesing, director of ‘Maxima’, directs together with Hiba Vink.
“It stays true to the franchise because it is still all about the female perspective,” said Justus Riesenkampff, EVP Nordics & Benelux of Beta Film. Or simply about ‘the human perspective’, Van Bommel noted.
“When you give birth and then have to show yourself and your child to 17 million people, the public can understand what that feels like. They are royals, but they also have children who become teenagers, fall in love and sneak out of the house.”
Viewers may also appreciate the dark storylines in the spin-off.
“Mabel is introduced in the second season and then her journey is much more tragic than Maxima’s. This serves as a counterpoint. Maxima sometimes seems almost untouchable. Everything works out for her. Mabel and Margarita have much more difficulty. And that is actually very human,” says Riesenkampff.
Although it explores royal life, ‘Maxima’ never loses sight of its Argentinian-born protagonist.
“Sometimes in the series we use archives. That helps, because you suddenly realize, ‘Oh, this really happened.’ But because we stay so close to her, people see it more as an emotional journey than as a historical piece,” says van Bommel.
“We presented a special sneak preview in Miami and were told that the audience really recognized themselves. They said, ‘We are Spanish, we are immigrants and we feel for her.’ She moves to another country and tries to blend in with this new culture. It is a very universal and urgent story.”
“That’s one of the main reasons why ‘Maxima’ has been so successful internationally. It’s really a unique reinvention of the royal drama genre, because it’s really about Maxima. We had to convince every network, every buyer and every audience member of that, and we succeeded,” Riesenkampff emphasizes.
Still, the show is growing. With a third season already in development, it offers some bigger scenes in the second, including the royal wedding.
“We start big and then end with a coronation [10 years later]. That was definitely the challenge, so we reached out to our makeup and wardrobe departments as soon as we started thinking about a second season. Many of these events were broadcast on television and are in everyone’s collective memory. Of course we couldn’t get the Valentino dress that Maxima 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 it’s a whole new chapter in their lives.”
Riesenkampff added: “Many European producers wouldn’t even try to go there, but Rachel managed on a budget that others would say could only result in a ‘local’ show. It’s rare to produce something like this outside of Europe. It’s a clear sign that you don’t need 100 million to make a series that works.”
What you do need, however, are enough employees who are willing to go the extra mile.
“The wedding takes place in a church in the middle of Amsterdam. Normally I would say: ‘We’re not going there.’ In this case, the Amsterdam Public Service worked with us because everyone thought it should be authentic. We couldn’t film in a studio,” says Van Bommel.
“‘Maxima’ is a perfect example of how you can collaborate with different parties, from Beta Film to RTL. It doesn’t have to be just one streamer who gives the green light for something.”
After ‘The Other Royals’ there may be more to come.
“There are many opportunities to tell different stories in very different formats. It is a very big family and there is drama everywhere,” van Bommel laughed.
