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Molly gives “perfect” Sam Johnson his blessing

“I really cannot think of anyone else who could even try to play me," Molly Meldrum says of Sam Johnson.

2015-02-16_1144Seven has finally confirmed the worst-kept secret in town, that Sam Johnson has been cast as Molly Meldrum in the miniseries Molly.

The always-supportive pop guru has also given Johnson (The Secret Life of Us, Rush) his blessing, saying, “I really cannot think of anyone else who could even try to play me. Sam is perfect and I cannot wait to see him in action. Good luck Sam!”

Johnson added, “To be honest and to put it simply, this is the holy grail, both creatively and personally. He is a character. As an actor this is the best role you could ever hope to find. You spend your whole career dreaming of a role like this. I’m typically terrified but the panic is convincingly overshadowed by my excitement about the opportunity.”

Brad Lyons, Seven’s Director of Network Production, said: “There is no one else quite like Molly, and I say that with much admiration. To be able to explore the story of his early life and share that with our viewers is wonderful. He is a much-loved icon in Australia.”

The cast also includes Krew Boylan as singer Lynne Randell.

Johnson recently raised over $1.5 million riding a unicycle fromSydney toMelbourne for the Garvan Institute, with $200,000 for CanTeen.

Molly chronicles the rise of Molly Meldrum: the music, the celebrities, the parties, the international trips, behind-the-scene politics, his partners in crime and most of all, the story of Molly himself.

From humble beginnings in Quambatook, Victoria, Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum rose to become the most influential and powerful name in Australian music. Through the phenomenon that became a cultural touchstone – Countdown – Molly’s passion for music and life quickly cemented his place in the heart of the entire nation.

Molly is a M4 Entertainment Production produced in association with the Seven Network. Executive Produced by Michael Gudinski and Mark Morrissey and John Molloy as Producer. The series is directed by Kevin Carlin and written by Liz Doran and Matt Cameron.

No date has been announced but with the success of INXS: Never Tear Us Apart it could well kick off Seven’s 2016 year, though Seven is also producing Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door.

7 Responses

  1. “”Johnson recently raised over $1.5 million riding a unicycle fromSydney toMelbourne…”” ??? I thought his trip was just ‘a bit’ longer than from Sydney to Melbourne, right?

    1. Years from now, once the bottom of the barrel is wiped clean, Seven will make a biopic about Samuel Johnson’s incredible, no… epic transformation into Molly Meldrum in “Molly: The Samuel Johnson Story”. Cast TBA.

    2. Ian Meldrum, subject of a biopic? Why? I couldn’t think of anyone less worthy than the verbally stumbling, fumbling Molly Meldrum. If they wanted to honour someone with a biographical miniseries, two names spring immediately to mind as most worthy… Johnny Young and Jamie Redfern, from 1970 their stories are intertwined.

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