The Piano Lesson cast is looking stacked, attractive, impressive, etc.

Netflix’s The Piano Lesson has been assembling a team. The streamer’s upcoming adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play confirmed a stacked leading cast today, including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, and Corey Hawkins.

For Washington, the upcoming project is a family affair—The Piano Lesson will be his brother Malcolm’s feature directorial and screenwriting debut. The pair’s father, a decorated veteran actor by the name of Denzel, will serve as an executive producer alongside Academy Award winner Todd Black. The film doesn’t yet have a detailed filming timeline or slated release date.

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh in the wake of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the Charles family and an heirloom they hold especially dear: the shared family piano. The instrument, which features engravings telling the story of the Charles’ history, causes a disagreement between two siblings in the family; one who wants to sell the piano as a means to buy the land where their enslaved ancestors worked, and another who can’t bear to say goodbye to the history carved into the supple wood by their forebears. The play last received a screen adaptation back in 1995, starring Charles Dutton, Alfre Woodward, and a large percentage of the original Broadway cast.

The Piano Lesson is a sound investment for Netflix, especially given their track record of success with Wilson’s work. 2020's Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which starred Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final onscreen appearance, received critical acclaim, including two Oscar wins and nominations for both Davis and Boseman (Boseman won a posthumous Golden Globe for his role). The film also starred Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, Potts, Taylour Paige, Dusan Brown, Jeremy Shamos, and Jonny Coyne.