The first project is Carlota, a new drama series inspired by the true story of Carlota of Habsburg, the first and only Empress of Mexico. The iconic historical figure will be portrayed by Mexican superstar Belinda, marking a high-profile return to the screen.
Joining her in the cast are Jaime Lorente (La Casa de Papel, Tin & Tina) as Emperor Maximilian, Miguel Ángel Silvestre (Velvet, Sense8, Los Enviados, 30 Monedas) as Alfred Van Der Smissen, and celebrated Mexican actress Mabel Cadena (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, El Baile de los 41) as Josefa.
The 10-episode series will be shot in Mexico and Spain, and will feature a premium production design, underscoring SPT’s strategic investment in elevated local storytelling. Carlota is directed by Alejandro Bazzano (La Casa de Papel) and Ana Lorena Pérez Ríos (Like Water for Chocolate), combining cinematic ambition with emotional resonance. The top-tier production team is led by Coty Cagliolo, SVP of Production for Latin America and U.S. Hispanic markets, and Carlos Quintanilla Sakar, SPT’s VP and Head of Content and Production for LATAM and the U.S., who also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Alejandro García and María Fernanda Bateman also join as executive producers.
The series will portray Carlota as a visionary royal navigating cultural resistance and a complex love story, while striving to forge a new empire — an epic narrative of power, identity, and passion. The production was approved to receive Colombia’s CINA audiovisual tax incentive, managed by Proimágenes Colombia, granting a 35% rebate on eligible audiovisual expenses in the country.
In addition to Carlota, SPT also revealed that production is underway for the Mexican adaptation of the hit Italian medical drama Doc – Nelle tue Mani, originally created and produced by Lux Vide (a Fremantle company). Since its debut on Rai 1 in 2020, Doc became Italy’s most-watched scripted series since 2007 and has been sold in over 100 countries.The Mexican version follows Andrés Ferrara, head of internal medicine, who loses the memory of the past twelve years after surviving an assassination attempt. As he faces a life he no longer remembers, he must relearn critical life lessons and fight to regain what truly matters — with the support and occasional resistance of his family and colleagues.
Leading the cast is actor Juan Pablo Medina (The Two Hemispheres of Lucca, La Casa de las Flores), alongside Gabriela de la Garza (Monarca, Who Killed Sara?), Stephanie Cayo (Tell Me What You Want (Really), Club de Cuervos), Iván Sánchez (La Reina del Sur), Erick Chapa (Preso No. 1), and Giuseppe Gamba (Cindy la Regia).
The adaptation is helmed by a trio of directors: Fran Franco (Lalola, Más Allá De Ti, La Usurpadora), Andrés López (La Reina del Flow, Arelys Henao), and Harold Ariza (Sonido de Libertad, Playa Soledad). The same powerhouse team behind Carlota — Coty Cagliolo, Carlos Quintanilla Sakar, Alejandro García, and Madelaine Contreras — also oversees production.
The U.S. adaptation of Doc, starring Molly Parker and produced by SPT Studios, has already made waves as the most-watched series premiere on FOX in five years and the highest-rated FOX show of the season, reaching over 16 million viewers.
