Will Smith Plays Venus And Serena Williams Father In New Biopic For HBOMax

Here’s your first glance at King Richard, about Venus and Serena Williams’ rise to tennis greatness with Will Smith starring as their father, Richard Williams.

He’s been called relentless, unapologetic and unconventional, and he explains himself : “I don’t even mind you saying we’re hard on these kids, you know why? ‘Cause we are,” “That’s our job. To keep them off these streets. You want to check on the kids? Let’s check on the kids: We’ve got future doctors and lawyers, plus a couple tennis stars in this house.”

Both Venus and Serena themselves signed off on the project and serve as executive producers. It dives into their life on and off the court, growing up in Compton and following the 78-page plan that Richard made for the girls’ whole career before they were even born.

Will said of taking on this role: One of the greatest honors as an actor is to be able to celebrate someone’s legacy while they’re still here creating it. I’ve gotten to do it a few times in my career playing Chris Gardner and Muhammad Ali, and every time it’s a fulfilling and expansive experience beyond compare.

King Richard is in theaters and streaming on HBO Max on Nov. 19.