By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Will Smith on set of King Richard / SplashNews.com.
Will Smith stars as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena, in the first trailer for King Richard, a film about how Williams helped coach the Compton-raised sisters into tennis stars.
Venus and Serena Williams along with sister Isha Price, serve as executive producers on King Richard, which Warner Bros. says “highlights one father’s relentless drive and unapologetic vision to change the game.”
“I don’t mind you saying we’re hard on these kids because we are,” Smith’s Williams tells a social worker in the trailer. “That’s our job. Keep them off these streets. You wanna check on the kids? Let’s check on the kids. We got a future doctor, lawyers, plus a couple tennis stars in this house.”
As the girls advance in the predominately white world of tennis, Smith tells them, “This next step that you take, you’re not just gonna be representing you, you’re gonna be representing every little black girl on Earth.”
King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, will arrive in both theaters and on HBO Max on November 19th.
In addition to Smith, King Richard stars Aunjanue Ellis as Oracene “Brandi” Williams and Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena Williams, Tony Goldwyn as coach Paul Cohen, and Jon Bernthal as coach Rick Macci.