Hollywood actor Jon Bernthal has joined the cast of the upcoming fact-based film King Richard.
Bernthal is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Frank Castle (a.k.a. Punisher) in the Netflix MCU web series The Punisher (2017-2019).
The upcoming movie will focus on the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams (who will be played by Will Smith) and is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green.
News of Bernthal’s casting was broken by Deadline and he will portray Rick Macci, the famous coach who made a deal with Richard Williams to train his daughters.
Macci made the decision to train the sisters after seeing them at the tender ages of nine and ten show potential for speed, power, and competitiveness. It was his task to help the duo improve on their talent while allowing them to be girls.
Macci is also responsible for training another young phenomenon, Jennifer Capriati, and also coached Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova. This means he coached five number one ranked players from his Florida academy.
The young Venus and Serena Williams will be played by Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton while Aunjanue Ellis will portray their mother Brandi Williams.
King Richard is written by Zach Baylin and is slated for theatrical release on November 25, 2020.
