Jon Bernthal is set to hit the tennis court, as the actor is currently negotiating a deal to be casted as the famed coach Rick Macci in the upcoming Serena and Venus Williams biopic King Richard, according to Deadline. The film will be directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green for Warner Bros and will star Will Smith as Richard Williams, with Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton recently getting cast as his adolescent daughters Venus and Serena Williams.
Recently, King Richard acquired Aunjanue Ellis to portray their mother Brandi Williams. Bernthal, who recently appeared in the Oscar-nominated Ford V. Ferrari as Lee Iacocca, will portray the iconic tennis coach responsible for turning the Williams sisters into the athletes they are today, honing their physique and skillset at the ages of nine and ten respectively.
Bernthal was also recently cast in the long-awaited The Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark for New Line. The actor’s other recent roles include appearing in the film Those Who Wish Me Dead alongside Angelina Jolie and Nicholas Hoult, marking Bernthal’s next collaboration with director Taylor Sheridan since 2017’s Wind River. He will also have a role in the upcoming film Small Engine Repair, which is expected to debut this spring.