Will Smith’s Production Company Reaches Settlement Over Film About Venus And Serena’s Father

Will Smith’s production company has reached a settlement in the lawsuit over a film about Venus and Serena Williams’ father.

The upcoming biographical film King Richard will tell the story of Serena Williams and Venus Williams’ father’s life. But, back in June, Smith’s production company Overbrook Entertainment, Star Thrower Entertainment, and Warner Bros. were sued by TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media, who claimed they had bought the rights, not the film’s source material, several years ago. The rights in question included Richard Williams’ 2014 memoir “Black and White: The Way I See It.”

The lawsuit said the deal between the two companies took place three years prior, between themselves and #ChavoitaLesane, William’s son and business partner. According to Fox News, Lesane was allegedly given the limited power of attorney over Williams’ book “for the purposes of dealing with film and media rights for his book.” However, according to Deadline, Williams sold the rights to his life story to the filmmakers of “King Richard” for $1 million, which made the actual ownership of the right questionable.

But now, the lawsuit has come to a close. According to legal documents, Lesane and Star Thrower Entertainment “have entered into a settlement” with TW3 and Power Move, who have decided to dismiss “their claims against defendants with prejudice.” But Lesane and Star Thrower Entertainment have requested that the court retain “jurisdiction over the Parties to enforce the payment term in the settlement.”

#DemiSingleton and #SaniyyaSidney are set to star as Serena and Venus. Other actors, including Jon Bernthal, Liev Schreiber, and Dylan McDermott, have also been cast in the film. TW3, Power Move, Warner Bros., Star Thrower, and Smith have yet to speak out about the settlement. No details about the settlement have been released.