Will Smith 'poised' to play Serena and Venus Williams' father in a new movie called 'King Richard'
- Will Smith is "poised to play" Richard Williams in an upcoming movie called "King Richard."
- The movie will focus on the famous tennis father who had an incredible influence on multi-Grand Slam winning athletes Serena and Venus Williams.
- The movie is in pre-production with no director attached, but a script has reportedly been written, Deadline Hollywood reports.
- Smith is a well-known sports fan. He portrayed Muhammad Ali in the 2001 movie "Ali," and has been seen courtside at many tennis events.
- It may well be a match made in tennis heaven.
Will Smith will play Richard Williams in "King Richard," an upcoming movie about the famous tennis father who had an incredible influence on his championship-winning daughters Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
"King Richard" is currently in pre-production with no director attached, but a script has already been written by Zach Baylin and reportedly impressed Smith so much that he is "poised to play" the famous father, according to Deadline Hollywood. Variety also reported that Smith is set to take on the role.
Richard Williams had an undeniable effect on his daughters when they were growing up and reportedly woke them early in the mornings to take them to cracked Compton courts in Los Angeles in order to fine-tune their tennis styles, sometimes while gun shots could be heard in the distance.
Forbes reported in 2017 that he wrote a 78-page plan when Serena and Venus were still young, and "scrounged a shopping cart full of balls" to teach the fundamentals to his daughters.
"He taught them to serve big and hit hard on every shot from anywhere on the court," according to Forbes.
Read more: Serena Williams is a feminist hero
Venus, the oldest of the two tennis siblings, is now 38 and has seven Grand Slam championships and four Olympic gold medals to her name. Serena, 37, has 23 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic golds and is seen as the greatest women's player ever.
Meanwhile, Smith, who shot to fame in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" in the 1990s has starred in "Independence Day" and the "Men in Black" franchise, and is a well-known sports fan.
The 50-year-old is friends with the five-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, and even played a social media prank with the race car driver last year where he tied Hamilton to a chair before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and had to be "escorted" away from the pit-lane when he tried to steal the Briton's vehicle for a lap around the track.
Smith also played the former world heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 sports biopic "Ali," a film which scooped him an Academy Award nomination.
He has been seen at numerous tennis events over the years like the 2018 Australian Open, the 2013 exhibition match between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and the 2012 Madrid Open.
UP NEXT: Serena Williams says she and Venus were never 'afraid to be black' in tennis
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: How Donald Glover went from unknown comedian to music sensation Childish Gambino