Ben Kingsley To Star In Spike TV’s ‘Tut’

Actor Ben Kingsley will star in Spike TV’s mini-series Tut, the network announced Monday.

Academy Award-winning Kingsley (Schindler’s List, Ghandi, Bugsy) will portray “Ay,” the Grand Vizier to King Tutankhamun who wields tremendous power and influence as the top advisor to the Egyptian ruler, according to the network. `Tut,' which is Spike TV's first scripted series in eight years, will debut on the network in 2015.

“Tut is the biggest and most ambitious project in Spike’s history,” said Sharon Levy, executive vice president of original series for Spike TV. “Who better to lead the cast than one of the greatest actors of our generation -- Ben Kingsley.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.