Ben Kingsley will star in the upcoming event series, ‘Tut,’ for Spike TV, the network’s Executive Vice President, Original Series, Sharon Levy confirmed today. The Academy Award-winning actor will portray the key role of Ay, the Grand Vizier to King Tutankhamun who wields tremendous power and influence as the top advisor to the young Egyptian ruler.
“‘Tut’ is the biggest and most ambitious project in Spike’s history. Who better to lead the cast than one of the greatest actors of our generation-Ben Kingsley,” said Levy, who will also serve as an Executive Producer on the series. “We are so fortunate to have an actor of Ben Kingsley’s stature bring this character to life for Spike.”
The series will be shot entirely on location in Morocco and Canada this fall, and is set to premiere on the cable network next year. ‘Tut’ will be Spike TV’s first scripted event series in eight years and is another step in the network’s move to reaching a more gender-balanced audience.
‘Hell on Wheels’ director David Von Ancken will helm ‘Tut.’ The series was co-written by Michael Vickerman, Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg.
Written by: Karen Benardello