Spike orders Tutankhamen drama miniseries

US cable channel Spike TV has ordered a six-part scripted miniseries based on legendary Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen from Canada’s Muse Entertainment.

Tut will tell the story of Tutankhamen’s rise to power and subsequent struggle to establish Egypt as a key power as his advisors, friends and lovers scheme for their own interests.

Spike billed the show as a “landmark” project. It is the Male-skewed Viacom net’s first scripted offering in eight years, and is “is another step in the network’s move to reaching a more gender-balanced audience”.

It will shoot on location in Morocco and Canada, and launch on the channel in 2015.

Muse (Bomb Girls, The Kennedys) is attached to produce, with Greg Gugliotta (The Fosters), Michael Vickerman (Impact), Elice Island Entertainment’s Jeremy Elice and Angela Mancuso executive producing along with Spike’s executive VP, original series, Sharon Levy. Vickerman is writing the scripts with Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg.

“Tut is the perfect addition to our slate of distinctive originals that appeal to a broad audience,” said Levy.

The news came as Spike announced its latest slate, including new unscripted originals.