You’d be hard pressed not to find a person unfamiliar with tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, but a key player to their success is lesser known: Their father, Richard Williams.
New film King Richard is set to bring a whole new perspective to the upbringing of the iconic sisters, who were carefully coached and encouraged by their dad from childhood to their adult years.
The biopic centres around the determined father, with Will Smith set to play Richard in the lead role.
Sharing the very first trailer on his YouTube channel, Will shared: “One of the greatest honours as an actor is to be able to celebrate someone’s legacy while they’re still here creating it.”
He added: “I’m proud to show you all our first trailer for King Richard, the story of the man who introduced the world to Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The origin story for some REAL DEAL superheroes”.
Below, everything to know about King Richard, including the first trailer, release date and plot.
What is King Richard about?
King Richard will follow the true story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams as he tirelessly coaches, encourages and pushes them to become the greatest female players of all time.
The Williams family themselves had a hand in creating the film, meaning the storyline will be all the more accurate in depicting the sisters’ upbringing in Compton, California.
The cast of King Richard
Will Smith takes the lead role as Richard Williams, while actresses Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton will play Venus and Serena, respectively.
The film also features Aunjanue Ellis as the sisters’ mother, Oracene Price.
Reinaldo Marcus Green directs the biopic.
The trailer for King Richard
The first trailer for King Richard was released in July 2021 and sets out the empowering, emotional story of Richard’s determination to catapult his daughters into tennis stardom.
Watch it below:
When will King Richard be released?
King Richard is set for release in theatres on November 18, so expect plenty more chatter about the film in the coming months. It’s shaping up to be an inspiring must-watch.
