Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance will star in Netflix’s Uncorked, the feature directorial debut for Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny.

Fueled by his love of wine, a young man, played by Mamoudou Athie, strives to become a master sommelier while dealing with his father’s expectations that he will take over the family barbecue business. 

Datari Turner, Forge Media’s Chris Pollack, Mandalay Pictures’ Jason Michael Berman and Argent Pictures’ Jill Ahrens will produce, along with Ryan Ahrens, Ben Renzo and Penny. Executive producers are Mandalay Pictures’ Patrick Raymond and Veronica Nickel. Co-executive producers are NBA stars Tony Parker and Michael Finley, as well as NFL-ers Drew Brees and Derrick Brooks.

“It’s rare that black people get to tell a father-son story without the father’s absence serving as the catalyst for the story. That was never my experience, and I think it’s more important than ever that art reflects our humanity and who we are as regular people, rather than just being defined by the color of our skin or the trauma that has happened to us,” says Penny of the project that is set to begin filming this month in Memphis and later in Paris.

Nash, who will next be seen in Ava Duvernay’s Central Park Five miniseries, is repped by WME, Artists First and Jackoway Austen.

Vance will next be in theaters with the drug drama Ben Is Back. He is repped by WME and Fox Rothschild.

Athie’s credits include the Netflix series The Get Down and the Sundance standout Patti Cake$. Repped by WME, Anonymous Content and Slone Offer, the actor is currently is theaters with The Front Runner. 

Penny, whose credits also include Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Happy Endings, is repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson.

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