You don’t get to 30 combined Grand Slam titles without a good start. Warner Bros.’ upcoming film “King Richard” tells the story of how Venus and Serena Williams got that start through their father, Richard, who is played by Will Smith in a new trailer released Wednesday.
The trailer opens with Richard arriving home to see that their family has gotten a call from a social worker, who has heard that his two daughters spend too much time on the court and doesn’t think they are focusing on their schoolwork. Richard passionately defends his family and his belief in his daughters that they will go far.
“I don’t mind you saying we go hard on these kids because we are!” he says. “That’s our job! To keep them off these streets!”
The film also stars Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as the teenage Venus and Serena, who are brought by their father to tennis tournaments dominated by white girls. Despite the odds against them, Richard always tells them to believe in themselves, reminding them that “This world ain’t never had no respect for Richard Williams, but they’re going to respect y’all.”
Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn and Dylan McDermott also star in the film, which is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green from a script by Zach Baylin. Smith produced the film with Tim and Trevor White, with Serena and Venus Williams serving as executive producers with Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Adam Merims, Lynn Harris, Allan Mandelbaum, Jon Mone and Peter Dodd.
“King Richard” hits theaters and HBO Max on November 19. Watch the trailer above or click here.