Million Dollar Quartet Being Adapted as a Limited Drama Series

NASHVILLE: CMT is bringing the Tony Award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet to TV as an eight-episode limited-run scripted drama.

The series is being timed to the 60th anniversary of the famed Million Dollar Quartet recording sessions, which featured Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins. Thinkfactory Media, the producer of the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, is partnering with CMT on the project.

Million Dollar Quartet (working title) will be set in Memphis during the early days of the civil rights movement. It will tell the story of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll through the rise of iconic musicians Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.

“Million Dollar Quartet will capture the star-crossed Memphis moments which led to the most explosive pop culture movement of the 20th century, the birth of rock ‘n’ roll,” said Brian Philips, CMT’s president. “The characters are all larger than life, so casting is a daunting challenge, but we’re counting on the magic of Memphis to come alive again! This is among our most ambitious projects ever, and we entrust it to a proven epic filmmaker, Leslie Greif.”

“We are thrilled to be working with CMT as they enter the scripted drama arena,” added Leslie Greif, the CEO and founder of Thinkfactory Media. “At Thinkfactory Media, we pride ourselves in finding, developing and delivering products that fit the networks we work with, and Million Dollar Quartet is perfectly suited for CMT because of its deep ties to country music and Nashville. The entire Thinkfactory Media team and I are proud to be part of their expansion into rich new territory.”