Spike to air scripted King Tut event series

Spike TV is getting back into scripted TV in a surprising way with a just-announced six-hour event series, “Tut.”

“Tut” will tell the story of Egypt’s legendary boy pharaoh during his rise to power in ancient times. Tutankhamen took the throne at the age of 9 or 10 in the year 1333 BC and died at age 18. The series will also explore the conflicting agendas, schemes and love affairs of his circle of advisors.

The series is Spike’s first stab at scripted programming in eight years and will attempt to grab a wider demographic than the young male audience the channel has traditionally catered to.

In a statement, Spike’s executive vice president of original series, Sharon Levy, clearly indicated the channel’s hopes to break out of its guy-centric programming, saying, “ ‘Tut’ is the perfect addition to our slate of distinctive originals that appeal to a broad audience.”

Muse Entertainment, the company behind the “The Kennedys,” “Pillars of the Earth” and “Bomb Girls,” is producing “Tut.”

The series is being written by Michael Vickerman, who wrote the “Ring of Fire” miniseries on Reelz, along with Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg.

“Tut” will be filmed in Morocco and Canada and is expected to air on Spike sometime in 2015.