Ben Kingsley Joins ‘Night at the Museum 3’

In light of recent news that Rebel Wilson is on board for Night at the Museum 3, it appears that Twentieth Century Fox is stockpiling star power for the third installment of the popular family franchise. Ben Kingsley has recently signed on for the part of an Egyptian pharaoh who is awakened at a British Museum.

It is unclear whether Kingsley’s pharaoh will be a protagonist who is helpful to Ben Stiller’s security guard Larry Daley or a troublemaker like Hank Azaria’s Kahmunrah in Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian. The main antagonist will reportedly be Sir Lancelot, played by Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens.

The recurring cast from the first two films will be back including Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan as best buds Jedediah and Octavius, Ricky Gervais in the role of Dr. McPhee and of course Robin Williams as the unforgettable Theodore Roosevelt.

Kingsley is coming off of a 2013 that included roles in sci-fi blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Ender’s Game. One of his more interesting turns in the upcoming year is looking to be another sci-fi film called Our Robot Overlords. The story takes place on an Earth that has been overtaken by robots from a distant planet. Human survivors must stay inside or become incinerated. The film is expected to be completed later this year, but is currently still seeking U.S. distribution.

Night at the Museum 3 is due out in December of this year.