LOS ANGELES, CA – The trailer for the upcoming Warner Bros. biographical sports drama, “King Richard,” which stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father and first coach of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams, premiered online on Wednesday.
The film will tell the inspiring true story of Richard Williams, who with his unwavering persistence and drive, helps coach and guide his daughters from the streets of Compton, California to international tennis superstardom.
In the film’s trailer, viewers get a glimpse at the young tennis stars as they practice under the tutelage of their father and ultimately rise above adversity, as they climb the ranks of the primarily white sphere of tennis.
“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,” Williams tearfully tells his daughters in the trailer.
Before they were born, Williams wrote a 78-page plan in which he would turn his daughters into tennis powerhouses and began training them when they were four-years-old.
“This world ain’t never had no respect for Richard Williams, but they’re gonna respect y’all,” Williams says in the trailer.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film’s core emphasizes just how far one can go with the support of family, faith, and unrelenting determination.
Smith, who has previously portrayed real-life figures such as Muhammad Ali, Chris Gardner, and Dr. Bennet Omalu recently promoted the trailer on his Instagram, and thanked the Williams family for sharing their story with the world.
“One of the greatest honors as an actor is to be able to celebrate someone’s legacy while they’re still here creating it,” Smith said via Instagram.
In addition to Smith, the film also features Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal, Tony Goldwyn and Dylan McDermott.
Both Venus and Serena, along with their sister Isha Price, served as executive producers on the film. Other executive producers included Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, Adam Merins, Lynn Harris, Allen Mandelbaum, Jon Mone and Peter Dodd.
“King Richard” will be released in theaters and on HBO Max on November 19.
