Liev Schreiber will join Will Smith in a new movie that will be about Richard Williams — the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Schreiber and Smith will star in the new film King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The film will be about the true-life story of Richard Williams, which will also star Saniyya Syndey and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena, respectively. Aunjanue Ellis and Jon Bernthal are also featured in the film.
Schreiber will play tennis coach Paul Cohen who is an instructor who worked for John McEnroe and Pete Sampras. Smith will play the role of Richard Williams.
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“The script by Zach Baylin depicts the determination and fortitude of Williams, who trained his two daughters to play tennis, beginning on cracked courts in Compton, California, to later coaching them to Grand Slam wins and shaping them into two of the greatest players in the sport.” Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter wrote.
King Richard is currently in production and it’s scheduled to be released on Nov. 25.
Richard Williams is known for molding Venus and Serena into the tennis stars they are today and it started with him writing a 78-page plan. Venus and Serena have won 30 grand slam tournaments combined.
“It all started with an idea,” Serena once said via NBC Sports in 2015. “It was his idea. It’s changed sports. It’s changed history.”
“He’s been the most important person in my career,” she added.
Serena is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all-time as she was won 23 grand slam tournaments. She won the Australian Open seven times, the French Open four times, Wimbledon seven times and the US Open six times. Venus has won Wimbledon five times and she has won the US Open Twice. Both sisters have also won a combined eight gold medals in the Olympics.
“Who would have thought that he could have raised two black girls to play a sport that African Americans haven’t typically done well in?” she said in an interview in 2015. “Every time I stand out there, I think that I wouldn’t be here if somebody didn’t have that vision for me. I don’t know if I would have a vision like that for my kids.”
