Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny is collaborating with Netflix for his directorial debut.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Niecy Nash and Courtney B. Vance will star in Penny’s Uncorked, a family story that upends the stereotypes about absent Black fathers.
Penny said he wants to use this film to showcase the ordinary experiences and conflicts that Black families have, but are rarely portrayed onscreen.
“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,” said Penny in a statement.
The story centers on a young man named Mamoudou Athie who wants to follow his passion for wine into a career as a master sommelier instead of taking over his father’s role in the family barbecue business.
“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,” he continued.
Some of the biggest names in basketball and football have come on board as producers, including NBA players Tony Parker and Michael Finley, and NFL players Drew Brees and Derrick Brooks.
Production for Uncorked will start in Memphis later this month.
