Colombian-Puerto Rican actor John Leguizamo is set to take on the lead role in the eight-hour U.S. TV drama, "The Kill Pit," from Spike TV.

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With production set to begin early next year to meet a summer release, the mini-series will feature the Emmy Award-winning actor as the leader of a group of American Iraqi war veterans whose attempt to rob a bank results in a tense hostage situation, said a Spike TV release.

"It's a great cat and mouse game with lots of action and suspense and will surely resonate with our guy audience," Spike TV programming exec, Pancho Mansfield, said. "John Leguizamo is the ideal actor to bring edginess and intensity to the lead role."

The 42-year-old actor previously won an Emmy award for director Spike Lee's film, "Freak," which featured Leguizamo's stand-up routine.

The release said joining Leguizamo for the Lionsgate project will be executive producers David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, along with scribe James DeMonaco who has penned such tense cinematic thrillers as The Negotiator" and 2005's "Assault on Precinct 13."