Will Smith Paid Almost Half of Serena Williams’ On-Court Earnings for Movie ‘King Richard’

Published 08/23/2021, 8:14 AM EDT

In the forthcoming film ‘King Richard’, Will Smith is portraying the father of the iconic tennis players, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Based on a true story, the movie is scheduled to hit the theatres in November.

Having introduced tennis to his daughters, Venus and Serena, when they were four and five, respectively, the movie traces the journey of Richard in raising two of the greatest athletes of all time.

Will Smith paid $40 million for Serena Williams Father’s Movie

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As per reports, the four-time Grammy award winner, Will Smith, was paid a whopping $40 million for the upcoming biographical drama film.

During her 25-year-long illustrious career, Serena has amassed $94 million in career prize money. On the other side, her elder sister, Venus, has won $42 million over her impeccable career.

Just for comparison, the $40 million pay cheque received by the Hollywood star, for just one film, is almost half of Serena’s on-court career prize earnings. Incredible indeed!

Last month, Smith uploaded the trailer of the movie on his YouTube channel. However, this isn’t the first time Smith is playing the protagonist in a biographical movie.

Previously, Smith has essayed the role of the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali, in the film ‘Ali’ and an American entrepreneur, Chris Gardner, in the film ‘Pursuit of Happiness, receiving critical acclaim for both performances.

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“So now, I’m proud to show you all our first trailer for King Richard, the story of the man who introduced the world to @Venus Williams and Serena Williams. The origin story for some REAL DEAL superheroes,” wrote Smith, in the description.

In fact, the William sisters serve as executive producers for the film which captures the duo’s rise from their childhood days in Compton, California to becoming international tennis stars.

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Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who is best known for Monsters and Men, ‘King Richard’ also stars Jon Bernthal, Dylan McDermott, Tony Goldwyn, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, and Demi Singleton.

It’ll be fascinating to witness the inspirational journey of the Williams sisters and their father, who played an instrumental role in their success.

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Written by:

Kshitij Tayal is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having played district-level tennis competitions, Kshitij is also a tenured journalist of the sport with over four years of experience. At EssentiallySports, he pens down some thought-provoking pieces on players and tournaments across the ATP and WTA.

Will Smith Paid Almost Half of Serena Williams’ On-Court Earnings for Movie ‘King Richard’

Will Smith paid $40 million for Serena Williams Father’s Movie

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