Will Smith is set to star in a biopic about Venus and Serena Williams’ dad Richard Williams, but a company has filed a lawsuit against the production.
Will Smith is all set to portray the father Venus and Serena Williams in the biopic King Richard, but there is a court case brewing. Richard Williams, dad to the tennis champions, has been working with Smith and producers to help create a film that closely mirrors his real-life experiences. However, according to a report made by TMZ, Richard Williams, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and Smith’s company Overbrook Entertainment are being sued by TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multi-Media. According to TW3 and Power Move, they had already secured the rights to Richard’s life story prior to King Richard‘s production.
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The companies claim in their suit that they purchased the rights to Black and White: The Way I See It, Richard’s book. In the contract, it reportedly states that no one else can work on a project tied to the tennis dad’s life story, so when Overbrook and Warner Bros. entered the picture, they allegedly needed to get approval from TW3 and Power Move first.
The companies are suing for a minimum $1 million and “want an injunction requiring WB to put all the prits from the ‘King Richard’ movie, which is set for release this November, into a trust for their benefit.” They’re also seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.