“King Richard” is a new film starring Will Smith. Smith is the frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar at this year ceremony.
So let’s find out some trivia and facts about the new film.
- King Richard is a 2021 American biographical drama film
- The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green
- It is written by Zach Baylin
- The film follows the life of Richard Williams, the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams
- It stars Will Smith in the title role
- With Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal, also starring
- It had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021
- It was theatrically released on November 19, 2021, by Warner Bros. Pictures
- It was also released on the HBO Max streaming service on the same day
- The film received positive reviews
- With Smith’s performance garnering universal acclaim
- The project was announced in March 2019, with Will Smith set to play Williams in the film, written by Zach Baylin
- At the same time, Warner Bros. won the bidding war for the film
- Reinaldo Marcus Green was brought on as director in June
- In January 2020, Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney were cast to play Serena and Venus respectively, with Aunjanue Ellis cast as their mother Brandi Williams
- Jon Bernthal also entered negotiations to play Rick Macci
- In February 2020, Liev Schreiber and Susie Abromeit joined the cast
- In March 2020, Dylan McDermott, Katrina Begin and Judith Chapman had joined the cast
- The film features the original song “Be Alive” by Beyoncé
- The song was released on November 12, 2021
- Principal photography began in January 2020 in Los Angeles
- According to the California Film Commission, the production spent $35.6 million in the state, with $7.5 million returned in tax credits
- In March 2020, filming was halted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
- In October 2020, Tony Goldwyn joined the cast, replacing Schreiber who dropped out due to a scheduling conflict as a result of the pandemic
- Filming resumed later in the month
- Will Smith reportedly received $40 million for his role
- After production concluded, Smith reportedly gave his co-stars “a nice bonus” via checks, due to the decision to release the film in theatres and on HBO Max simultaneously
- This bonus was on top of the compensation already received from the studio
- The film was chosen to close the AFI Fest on November 14, 2021
- That same day, it closed the New Orleans Film Festival’s live screenings
- By the end of its run, it will have also screened at film festivals in London, Chicago, Savannah, Miami, Indianapolis, Denver, Middleburg, Philadelphia, Sydney, Toruń, and Morelia
- The film will also open the 25th American Black Film Festival (ABFF)
- President and general manager Nicole Friday describing King Richard as “a film that is a touchstone of ABFF’s legacy of showcasing extraordinary Black talent and inspiring storytelling reflecting the brilliance of diversity in Hollywood”
- In the United States and Canada, King Richard will be released alongside Ghostbusters: Afterlife
- The film is projected to gross between $8 to 10 million from 3,250 theaters in its opening weekend
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 92% rating
- Based on 161 reviews
- With an average rating of 7.6/10
- The website’s critical consensus reads, “King Richard transcends sport biopic formulas with refreshingly nuanced storytelling – and a towering performance from Will Smith in the title role”
- On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100
- Based on 39 critics
- Indicating “generally favorable reviews”
- Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale
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