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

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

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

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

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"This case presents an unfortunate and tawdry situation: the cold and calculating misappropriation and interference with plaintiffs’ intellectual property,” the court papers read, as quoted by the 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 the lawsuit. TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia, founded by Tom Walsh and Reef Knox, further claim that Richard Williams knew that the 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 Knox to discuss a favourable compensation. 

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Richard Williams sued: King Richard details

Will Smith, who is also a producer of the biopic through his production house, Overbrook Entertainment, is playing the lead role of Richard Williams. The biopic is reportedly slated for a November 2021 release. It explores long and winding journey as a tennis coach to the Williams sisters, which ultimately reaped its rewards after both Serena and Venus Williams achieved success in the sport. The 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 the biopic. The production has been halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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