Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves (The Secret of the Greco Family) and Martijn Lakemeier (The East) have signed on to star in the drama series Maxima.
The series tells the life story of the Argentinian-born Dutch Queen Máxima. Millstreet Films is the producer and will also handle international sales. RTL commissioned the series for the Netherlands.
The series will shoot in Argentina, New York, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands beginning in June. Rachel van Bommel of Millstreet Films is producing. Head writers are Marnie Blok and Ilse Ott. Episodes will be directed by Saskia Diesing, Joosje Duk and Iván López Núñez.
The full synopsis reads: From the moment Máxima Zorreguieta appears at the Dutch crown prince’s side, she finds herself in the spotlight. When Willem-Alexander asks her to marry him, the past catches up with her. Heated discussion erupts about her father’s political career in the Videla regime – a discussion she never faced in her own circles. What allows this Argentine to finally thrive at an old European court? And how can Máxima stay true to herself without giving up her family – or do these things not go together?
The series will run six 50-minute episodes, which kick off with a present-day storyline starting in 1999 in Seville, when Máxima and Willem-Alexander meet for the first time. The series will then transition into a second storyline set in the past, where we see how Máxima was prepared for this step her entire life. When the press catches wind of her relationship with the crown prince, the pair find themselves on a roller coaster, that only slows down with the announcement of their engagement in 2001.
Chaves, who is set to star as Máxima, is best known for her roles in Ringo (Star+), The Secret of the Greco Family (Netflix), Rap Battlefield (HBO Max) and Edha (Netflix). Lakemeier will play Prince Willem-Alexander. He is best known for starring in Amazon’s The East. His other credits include Marie Antoinette (BBC 2), Sonny Boy, and Winter in Wartime.
“When Máxima set foot on Dutch soil people referred to her as the derivative of two men. Who she was and what she wanted from life were attributed by the outside world to first her father and after that her prince. I really love that the series now tells her story, from her point of view,” Chaves said.
Producer Rachel van Bommel added: “Millstreet Films explores the complexity of female characters, and that’s what makes Máxima interesting for us: she has a complex, versatile personality but remains a cheerful and positive person for herself.”
