- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
Spike TV has found its King Tut.
Twisted and Victorious star Avan Jogia will take on the role as the Egyptian ruler in the Viacom-owned cable network’s original miniseries Tut, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The limited series is based on the story of Tutankhamun, otherwise known as King Tut. Tut hails from Muse Entertainment, best known for Emmy-nominated The Kennedys as well as Pillars of the Earth. The company’s Joel S. Rice and Michael Prupas along with Greg Gugliotta (The Fosters) will executive produce with writer Michael Vickerman (Impact), Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige (The Fosters) and Elice Island’s Jeremy Elice and Angela Mancuso (Spartacus, Helen of Troy). Irene Litinsky (Being Human) serves as producer.
PHOTOS Summer TV Preview
“We are thrilled to work with such an incredibly gifted young actor who is perfectly suited to take on the immensely complex character of King Tutankhamun,” said Spike original series exec vp Sharon Levy.
“Vancouver-born actor Avan Jogia will be an outstanding addition to the cast of Tut,” added Prupas, CEO of Muse Entertainment. “Jogia is a hot young talent with a loyal following who has already made a name for himself in film and television.”
Jogia will next be seen in Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini‘s Ten Thousand Saints, with Hailee Steinfeld, Emile Hirsch and Ethan Hawke, as well as Eddie O’Keefe‘s Shangri-La Suite, with Emily Browning. He’s currently filming as one of the leads in The Outskirts, opposite Ashley Rickards, Eden Sher and Victoria Justice. He’s repped by ICM Partners and LINK. On the small screen, he spent more than 50 episodes starring in Nickelodeon’s Victorious and most recently was the male lead in ABC Family’s Twisted. The fate of the latter series has not yet been determined.
In Tut, the young actor will star opposite Ben Kingsley, who was cast last month as Ay, the grand vizier to King Tutankhamun, who wields tremendous power and influence as the top adviser to the young Egyptian ruler.
Tut will be filmed entirely on location in Morocco and Canada in the fall for a 2015 debut. The series marks Spike’s first scripted event series in eight years and its latest step in its move to reach a more gender-balanced audience.
Spike first announced it was developing Tut in September and officially gave the project the green light in May.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day