Serena Williams' father Richard, Will Smith and Warner Bros. sued over biopic dispute

King Richard, biopic based on Serena Williams' far Richard Williams, appears to be in trouble after a lawsuit was filed against Richard Williams, Warner Bros., Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment and ors by TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia. lawsuit was reportedly filed on Tuesday which claims TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia are sole owners of rights to publish Richard Williams' story.

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Richard Williams sued by TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia for breach of contract

details of lawsuits were procured by several publications which state plaintiff (TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia) h purchased rights to Richard Williams' memoir Black and White: Way I See It, from his son, Chavoita Lesane, in 2017. media house reportedly paid $10,000 to Lesane for rights. According to 'Richard Williams sued' reports, lawsuit alleges Serena Williams' far breached 2017 contract to sign a multi-million deal with Warner Bros. 

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"This case presents an unfortunate and tawdry situation: cold and calculating misappropriation and interference with plaintiffs’ intellectual property,” court papers re, as quoted by New York Post. “Plaintiffs’ good faith and contractually protected efforts to bring an amazing story into visual art form were met with defendants’ greed and disregard for Plaintiff’s existing rights.” 

Chavoita Lesane has also been named in lawsuit. TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia, founded by Tom Walsh and Reef Kx, furr claim that Richard Williams knew that rights to his story were sold but still negotiated a deal with Warner Bros. Richard Williams is also accused of never reaching out to Walsh or Kx to discuss a favourable compensation. 

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Richard Williams sued: King Richard details

Will Smith, who is also a producer of biopic through his production house, Overbrook Entertainment, is playing le role of Richard Williams. biopic is reportedly slated for a vember 2021 release. It explores long and winding journey as a tennis coach to Williams sisters, which ultimately reaped its rewards after both Serena and Venus Williams achieved success in sport. role of Serena Williams will be played by Demi Singleton while Saniyya Sidney will be playing Venus Williams.

Aunjanue Ellis, Jon Bernthal and Liev Schreiber will also be playing various roles in biopic. production has been halted due to coronavirus pandemic.

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(Im Credits: wtatennis.com, Will Smith Instagram Handle)