EXCLUSIVE: The Lives of Others star Sebastian Koch and The Death of My Mother‘s Elsie de Brauw have joined Máxima, RTL’s upcoming drama about the Argentine-born Queen of the Netherlands. Germany’s Beta Film has also joined the Millstreet Films production.
Principal photography on the six-part drama for RTL’s streamer Videoland began last month in New York and Madrid in Spain, which subbed in for Buenos Aires, and is set to move to the Netherlands and Belgium with its cast rounded out.
German star Koch joins the cast in the role of Claus van Amsberg, the father of Crown Prince King Willem-Alexander, and Elsie de Brauw will play Queen Beatrix. Koch has appeared in 2007 Academy Award-winning feature The Lives of Others, Tom Hanks starrer Bridge of Spies and Showtime series Homeland.
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Queen Máxima is portrayed by Argentinian star Delfina Chaves (The Secret of the Greco Family) and Prince Willem-Alexander, by Martijn Lakemeier (The East), as we reported in March.
Beta will co-produce alongside Rachel van Bommel’s Dutch indie Millstreet and FBO, and has acquired International sales rights. Saskia Diesing directs together with Joosje Duk and Iván López Núñez. Marnie Blok and Ilse Ott led the writer’s room and van Bommel produces for Millstreet.
Máxima is based on the book ‘Máxima Zorreguieta: Motherland’ by Marcia Luyten, which was published by De Bezige Bij in the Netherlands, and tells the story of how Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti became Dutch royalty and what her life has since been like. An Argentinian edition was published by Planeta in Buenos Aires in December 2022.
The first season depicts Maxima’s first encounter with then-Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and her route to becoming a public figure, highlighting her determination and ambition, as well as her struggle to balance the loyalty to her family and her own identity. The controversial past of her father and his role in Argentina’s autocratic Videla regime will be told in flashbacks.
“The strength of this series lies in the point of view of our main character, of Máxima,” said Millstreet producer van Bommel. “By experiencing everything from her perspective, the focus is different than one might expect. We will always see the story unfold through her eyes. That is what will capture the viewers’ hearts.”
‘This is an actual person’
In an interview with Deadline, van Bommel said: “We all know The Crown, but in the Netherlands we have a royal family that is very appealing to Dutch and German audiences and Maxima is a character who changes the way people think about them. The book — and the series — focuses on her upbringing, with her social climber parents, and where she comes from.”
Van Bommel secured the rights to the book after approaching journalist and author Luyten and went into a long period of development. “This is an actual person, a mother of three daughters, and the responsibility to not fictionalize everything arises.”
Millstreet started the casting process for the Maxima role in Argentina. “We had the luxury of really good actresses casting for the role, as we had no idea there would be huge interest but there was,” said van Bommel. Lakemeier travelled to the country to do chemistry tests with five actresses, with Chaves ultimately proving the clear choice.
“The project was quite advanced when we read the scripts,” said Justus Riesenkampff, Beta’s EVP Nordics & Benelux. “It’s rare we find a project coming out of Europe with such an authentic international appeal from the very beginning. There’s an ongoing interest with these sort of stories — a women from a Latin America marrying into one of the most prestigious European families — and in Germany, Sebastian Koch playing Klaus, Maxima’s father-in-law, will provide more interest.”
Riesenkampff added Beta was “very confident with the budget it, which is much higher than any other weve seen out of Holland,” and said the German company was hoping “it is the first of many to come from the country on that level.
“It’s a love story, a thrilling drama and a clash of cultures – Argentina’s military junta vs. the royal house of the Netherlands – where our protagonists must deal with their opposing familial heritages,” he said. “This unique combination is why we expect the series to resonate well with audiences across the world.”
Van Bommel, meanwhile, said early plans for a second season are underway. “We can definitely make multiple seasons and we are already researching for season 2 — it takes a long time,” she added. “We’ll tell the first 30 years of Máxima’s life in season 1, but she’s now 52, with three beautiful daughters, so we have lots more story to tell.”
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