Will Smith is the ambitious and inspirational father of Venus and Serena Williams in our first glimpse at the upcoming biopic, King Richard. Will Smith stars as the father of both tennis legends.
Prominently centered in the film’s official trailer, Smith plays Richard Williams, a relentlessly tenacious coach to the young tennis prodigies, who are portrayed by Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney.
Will Smith Trains Serena & Venus Williams In King Richard Trailer
The trailer also stars Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene “Brandi” Williams, Tony Goldwyn as Paul Cohen and The Punisher‘s Jon Bernthal as coach Rick Macci.
According to a brief synopsis from Warner Bros., the film chronicles the ascent of the Williams sisters and their “undeterred father,” who was “instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever.”
The trailer begins with shots of the Williams family in their Compton home and trails the parenting of Richard and his wife as they attempt to put their wildly talented daughters on a path to greatness.
“You’re going to be representing every little Black girl on earth,” Richard says through streams of tears to a young Serena in one of the preview’s most moving scenes.
“I wrote a 78-page plan for their whole career before they were even born,” the Williams family patriarch says in another telling frame from the film, making it clear just how plotted and driven Richard was, even early on in the careers of the tennis-stars-to-be.
The film marks Smith’s first major role since the release of Bad Boys For Life in 2020. His latest is set to arrive in theaters on November 19th alongside a streaming release via HBO Max as the latest in the streamer’s year-long deal with Warner Bros.
Watch the first trailer for the upcoming biopic King Richard below.
