Agent Carter‘s Chad Michael Murray has been cast to play Sam Phillips in CMT’s Million Dollar Quartet inspired by the musical of the same name and based on the book by Floyd Mutrux and Colin Escott. The dramatic series delves into the life of the founder of Sun Records, the record company that first recognized the talent of music icons Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and other greats.
The Million Dollar Quartet (working title) cast also includes Jennifer Holland (American Horror Story) as Sam’s wife, Becky Phillips. Margaret Anne Florence (Inside Amy Schumer) is on board to play Marion Keisker, Sam’s assistant-turned-girlfriend. Drake Milligan is Elvis Presley, Kevin Fonteyne will play Johnny Cash, Christian Lees takes on the role of Jerry Lee Lewis, and Jonah Lees is Jimmy Swaggart.
Filming’s expected to begin soon in Memphis, with CMT eyeing a November premiere. Roland Joffé will direct and Leslie Greif, showrunner Gil Grant, Jayson Dinsmore, and Julia Silverton executive produce.
The Plot: Million Dollar Quartet is a coming-of-age story set in Memphis during the tumultuous early days of the civil rights movement, and tells the untold true story of nothing less than the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Guided by Sam Phillips, young musicians like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis combined the styles of hillbilly country with the 1950s R&B sound created by artists like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Fats Domino and Ike Turner, and changed the course of music forever. The series chronicles these young artists’ often jarring and sudden meteoric rise to fame in the face of sweeping political change and social unrest.
 in the role of Sun Records founder Sam Phillips.){kind=link}