Spike orders Tut mini from Muse

US cablenet Spike TV has ordered Tut, a miniseries about the Ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun, to be produced by Canada-based Muse Entertainment.

The six-hour scripted show will be shot entirely on location in Morocco and Canada this autumn and will make its debut on Spike in 2015.

Viacom-owned Spike, which up to now has mostly targeted a younger male audience, said ordering the event series – its first in eight years – marked an attempt at attracting “a more gender-balanced audience.”

The miniseries will tell the story of Tut’s rise to power and his struggle to lead Egypt to glory while his closest advisors, friends and lovers scheme for their own nefarious interests.

It will be written by Michael Vickerman (Impact) with Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg (creators of ABC Family series The Fosters).

Muse USA president Joel S Rice and Muse Entertainment president Michael Prupas represent the company on the project, exec produced by Greg Gugliotta, Vickerman, Elice Island Entertainment’s Jeremy Elice, Angela Mancuso and Spike executive VP of original series Sharon Levy. Irene Litinsky will serve as a producer.

Said Levy: “We are thrilled to join forces with Muse Entertainment and this incredible writing team to bring the amazing story of one of history’s legendary leaders to life. Tut is the perfect addition to our slate of distinctive originals that appeal to a broad audience.”

Muse Distribution International will handle global sales.