King Richard
Short description
King Richard follows Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, as he pursues an ambitious plan to turn his daughters into professional tennis players. Living in Compton, California, Richard has no background in the sport, yet he trains the girls himself with the help of his wife, Brandy, and seeks out coaching from established figures. The family's determination to lift the sisters out of their neighbourhood and toward the top of the sport drives the story, which covers the years when Venus and Serena were still children.
The film was directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, arriving between his earlier feature Joe Bell and his later work Bob Marley: One Love. Zach Baylin wrote the screenplay, and Will Smith, who plays Richard, produced alongside Tim White and Trevor White. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor appears as Brandy, with Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton as Venus and Serena, and Jon Bernthal as coach Rick Macci.
Released in November 2021, the film runs 144 minutes and carries a budget of 50 million dollars against a worldwide box office of about 40 million. On IMDb it holds a 7.5 rating from roughly 169,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.6 from a much smaller voter base. The critics' rating stands at 7.6 from 303 reviews, closely matching the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Due to the restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the script reading was conducted via Zoom.
- Saniye Sidney – a left-handed person who had never played tennis before – had to learn, and with her right hand, as Venus Williams does. The training regimen was very strict; she trained from Monday to Friday, followed a diet, did general physical training, and studied recordings of Venus's performances in competitions.
- As a sign of gratitude, Will Smith shared $40 million of his own film salary with the other actors involved in the movie.
- As a gesture of gratitude, Will Smith shared $40 million of his own fee with the other actors.
- Sanie Sidney – a left-handed player who had never played tennis before – had to learn to play right-handed, like Venus Williams. The training regime was very strict; she trained from Monday to Friday, followed a diet and did general physical conditioning, and also spent long hours studying recordings of Venus Williams' performances in major competitions.
Similar movies
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
