King Richard is a 2021 American biographical sports drama film based on the true story of tennis legend African American Serena Williams and her sister Venus. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams based on how their father, Richard Williams coached his daughters to become two of the greatest tennis players. Real documented footage was shown of Richard Williams and his daughters Venus and Serena, from camcorder footage to TV broadcasts.
The film is a heartwarming tale of family, loyalty, perseverance and determination, a testament to the power of family bonds and sure to inspire viewers of all ages. The film which was produced by Tim Van Patten, Jon Kilik and Lawrence Bender, provides inspiration with the story of two of the greatest sports legends of all time. King Richard also features Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal in supporting roles. The film uses a mix of real documented footage and TV broadcasts to tell the story of how Richard Williams helped his daughters achieve their greatness.
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The film documents the journey of father and daughters as they battle it out on the court to be the best in the world. It presents how a father helped his daughters achieve their dreams but also how they overcame immense odds to become one of the greatest sports legends in history. Serena Williams in particular went on to become the only American player, male or female to win more than 20 slams as at the time of writing this article, and the first player in history with 100 wins at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The film follows their father Richard as he tries to balance his own ambition with his daughters’ talents and dreams. The film was a commercial success, grossing $39 million against a budget of $50 million. In a show of appreciation for his co-stars, Will Smith gave away his salary from the film to them in the form of bonuses according to his co-star actress Aunjanue Ellis on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club. His gesture was widely praised by his co-stars and others in Hollywood as a generous and selfless act.
