Report: Will Smith to play Venus, Serena Williams' dad in new film

Oscar nominee Will Smith is reportedly set to portray Richard Williams, the father and childhood coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, in an upcoming movie.

Smith has been cast to star in "King Richard," a spec script written by Zach Baylin about the Williams family patriarch, according to Mike Fleming Jr. of Deadline. Smith's company, Overbrook Entertainment, will co-produce the film with Tim White and Trevor White of Star Thrower Entertainment, Fleming reports.

Despite having no background in tennis, Richard Williams began training his young daughters on the courts in Compton, Calif., even drawing up a 78-page plan for their professional careers.

"There was no place in the world that was rougher than Compton," Williams said in an interview with CNN in 2015. "The ghetto will make you rough, it'll make you tough, it'll make you strong.

"And so that's why I went to Compton with them."