Will Smith, others sued over movie about Williams sisters' father
"King Richard," the upcoming biopic about Venus and Serena Williams' father, has been hit with a lawsuit over a breach of contract.
Will Smith, who is set to play Richard Williams in the movie, is named in the lawsuit along with Warner Bros., Williams himself, Williams' son Chavoita Lesane, and others, according to Dominic Patten and Tom Tapp of Deadline. TW3 Entertainment and Power Move Multimedia filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming they purchased the rights to the elder Williams' book from Lesane three years ago for $10,000.
The lawsuit claims Lesane was given limited power of attorney by Williams for "purposes of dealing with film and media rights for his book," and that he was involved with an initial draft of a script.
"Defendant Warner Bros. used plaintiffs' ideas and materials in 'King Richard,' and such ideas and materials provide substantial value to defendant," the suit states.
The plaintiffs are seeking "an injunction requiring all profits for any project using the Richard Williams rights to be placed in trust for plaintiffs' benefit."
"King Richard" is scheduled to be released in 2021.
HEADLINES
- Rybakina defeats Azarenka in 3rd-set tiebreaker to reach Miami Open final
- Tennis umpire loses appeal against 7-year ban for false match scores
- Miami Open roundup: Sinner reaches another semifinal, Alexandrova ousts Pegula
- USTA partners with White House sports committee in unprecedented move
- Gauff and Swiatek knocked out of Miami Open