Of all the ancient civilizations, the Ancient Egyptian civilization seems to be one of the most appealing to filmmakers, or in this case miniseries-makers. From Cleopatra to The Mummy, Exodus, and now a six-hour scripted miniseries "Tut" that will air this July on Spike TV.
It is to star Canadian Avan Jogia as the young and vigorous king, Tutankhamun, and the Oscar-winning veteran Ben Kingsley as the king’s grand vizier, Ay. The show, which was shot between Canada and Morocco, is considered to be Spike TV’s most anticipated production by far.
The long awaited trailer was recently released, giving us a glimpse for what to expect:
"Tut is the biggest and most ambitious project in Spike's history. Who better to lead the cast than one of the greatest actors of our generation — Ben Kingsley," said Sharon Levy, Spike executive VP for original series. "The character he plays, Ay, is the true power behind the Tutankhamun throne. We are so fortunate to have an actor of Ben Kingsley's stature bring this character to life for Spike."
Believed to have mainly claimed wide fame only due to the discovery of his tomb, King Tutankhamun is one of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs. The miniseries is set to narrate the real life drama of the rise and fall of the boy king who is believed to have died around the age of 18. For six hours, the miniseries will roll out the tales of epic battles, treacherous politics, and heartbreaking romances of Tutankhamun.
But will Tut spark another controversy of the casting of the miniseries?
Less than a year ago, even before the movie premiered, Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” was material for a heated debate over what was referred to as “whitewashing of the Egyptian culture.” It was severely criticized for its portrayal of Ancient Egyptian royals as white people and those along the lower scales of the hierarchy as dark-skinned Africans.
Alas, if some Westerners still believe that Egyptians commute on camels, then the dark-skinned Nubian racial heritage of Egyptians, especially in the ancient times, is the least of general knowledge dilemmas. Let's at least hope the series is well-scripted, and not just another fancy and expensive production that tweaks history for ratings.
