The Warner Bro. biopic King Richard, starring Will Smith, is inching closer toward development as the film's young Venus and Serena Williams have been cast. According to Deadline, Saniyya Sidney (Fences, Hidden Figures) and Demi Singleton (Godfather of Harlem) will be appearing onscreen alongside Smith and Aunjanue Ellis of When They See Us who is poised to take on the role of mother Brandi Williams.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green adapts the screenplay written by Zach Baylin in which the focus of the film is placed on patriarch Richard Williams. "It’s a true story of the hardscrabble but iron-willed father of Venus and Serena Williams who had a plan to make his daughters the greatest tennis players in the world," reads the publication. "This is how he pulled it off."
Under the guidance of Williams, the two sisters have gone to become the world's biggest tennis stars and mainstays in global sports overall. Between the two of them, the Williams sisters share 30 Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals.
Behind the scenes, other names attached to the project include executive producers Jada Pinkett-Smith and her brother Caleeb Pinkett who also flexed his production muscle in Will Smith's After Earth vehicle and as a creative executive on Men In Black 3.