9 First-Look Images From Upcoming Movies

3. King Richard

Will Smith King Richard
Warner Bros.

King Richard is the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams. Will Smith plays the lead and the film focuses on how he trained his daughters from a young age to become tennis champions.

A copyright issue over the rights to tell Williams' life story resulted in the production being sued. This was settled out of court with an undisclosed amount of money being paid to the plaintiffs, after which filming resumed.

Filming halted again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in Liev Schrieber dropping out. He was replaced by Tony Goldwyn.

Smith's casting drew claims of colourism against the film. He has a lighter pigmentation than Williams. The critique is centered on the lack of roles for darker skinned actors in Hollywood, a claim that also applies to Zoe Saldana's casting as Nina Simone. This does however mark the first time in Smith's career that he has worked with a black director, Monsters and Men's Reinaldo Marcus Green.

King Richard is set to release on 19th November 2021.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"