Deadline is reporting that Oscar nominee Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness, Ali) is set to play Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in Zach Baylin’s spec script King Richard.
Tim White and Trevor Write (The Post, Wind River, Ingrid Goes West) will produce King Richard via their Star Thrower Entertainment banner.
When his daughters were around the age of four, Richard Williams drew up a 78-page plan for their professional tennis careers.
The sisters began to assert themselves as Serena won the US Open in 1999 and Venus beat Lindsay Davenport to win the 2000 Wimbledon title.