‘King Richard’ began as a script written by Zach Baylin about Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Venus and Serena Williams. The story explored Richard’s journey to overcoming hardship, skepticism, controversy, and his own troubled past, as he coached his daughters without a background in the sport. Now, his story is coming to the big screen, and #WillSmith has been tapped to play the Williams patriarch.
Tim and Trevor White will produce the film under their Star Thrower Entertainment, and Smith will also produce under his Overbrook Entertainment company.
In his prime, Richard was a controversial figure in the tennis world due to his tough love, discipline and unapologetic Blackness that the white-washed tennis world couldn’t handle. Clearly, his methods worked, as his daughters are perhaps amongst the greatest tennis players (and athletes) of all time. Serena has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, starting with the US Open in 1999 and Venus has seven Grand Slam singles, starting with Wimbledon in 2000. Combined, the sisters have 14 Grand Slam doubles championships.
No release date has been set for ‘King Richard,’ but fans will be anticipating this special story.
