Mexican singer and actress Belinda Peregrín Schüll (known professionally as Belinda) will portray the ill-fated 19th-century empress Carlota in a new Sony Pictures Television series about the Second Mexican Empire.
The Spanish-born Mexican pop star headlines the cast for the series, which will start filming on location in Mexico, Colombia and Spain later this year. Sony has commissioned 10 episodes, each 45 minutes long, for season one.
Lo que sabemos de ‘Carlota’ hasta ahora:
— La serie es el proyecto latino más ambicioso de Sony Pictures Television hasta la fecha.
— Seguirá la historia real de Carlota de Habsburgo, la primera y única emperatriz de México.
— La producción comenzará a finales de este año.
—… pic.twitter.com/P9NsPrmyzv— Belinda Access (@BelindaAccess) May 20, 2025
“Carlota” will trace the arc of the Belgian princess’s experiences in Mexico, from early optimism and the royal couple’s sincere desire to transform the strife-ridden country into a glittering empire, only to face rising political and cultural tensions.
In a spoiler alert, the film industry trade magazine Variety writes that Carlota eventually “finds herself entangled in a far more complex reality, including a love story that defies fairy-tale expectations. As Carlota and her husband Maximilian attempt to build a new empire, they are drawn into a dangerous web of ambition, loyalty and betrayal.”
Billed as Sony’s most ambitious Latin American series to date, producers are confident the titular character will attract viewers, pointing out that Carlota was the first woman to exercise political power in Mexico. She often acted as head of government during Maximilian’s many sojourns outside the capital.
The series will be directed by Alejandro Bazzano (“Money Heist,” a popular Spanish television series) and Ana Lorena Pérez Ríos (“Como agua para chocolate,” the HBO Max series).
Belinda (Aug. 15, 1989) debuted at age 10 in a children’s telenovela and has appeared in films (including Disney’s “The Cheetah Girls 2,” TV series and Mexican telenovelas. In 2003, she launched a successful singing career; her four studio albums, singles and soundtracks have sold over 3 million copies.
Among Belinda’s co-stars are Jaime Lorente as Maximilian, Miguel Ángel Silvestre as Belgian Gen. Alfred Van Der Smissen, and Mabel Cadena as Josefa, a fictionalized court lady.
Lorente is best known for playing Denver in “Money Heist.”.. Silvestre rose to prominence with his performance as El Duque in the Spanish TV drama “Sin tetas no hay paraiso.” The Mexican-born Cadena made her film debut in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
“I’ve been dreaming about this project for two years and, at times, it seemed as though it would not come about,” Belinda wrote in a post on Facebook. “Now it is a reality and … I don’t have the words to describe how much this means to me.”
John Rossiter, executive vice president for Sony Pictures Television’s Latin America division, praised the cast and promised high production values, saying the project underscores Sony’s dedication “to crafting top tier stories that connect with audiences not only in Latin America but across the globe.”
“‘Carlota’ is a powerful milestone in our journey to establish Sony Pictures Television as a leading entertainment producer in Latin America,” he said.
Who were Carlota and Maximilian?
Archduke Maximilian of Austria and his Belgian wife, Princess Carlota, arrived in Mexico in 1864 on the heels of a French invasion that drove President Benito Juárez out of the capital.
Maximilian’s reign would last just over three years. He was executed in Querétaro on June 19, 1867.
At the time, Carlota was in Europe pleading with France’s Napoleon II and other European leaders to come to the rescue of her husband. The empress would survive Maximilian by 60 years, descending from mourning and melancholy into madness.
With reports from Variety, El País and El Universal
