Will Smith has been cast as Richard Williams, father to tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams in a new biopic about the athletes.

In a new biopic spec script, King Richard, we learn the story of how Richard Williams overcame hardship and his own troubled past to help train his daughters to become two of the best tennis players in history. Will Smith is poised to play the role of Richard Williams.

As Deadline reports, Williams had no prior knowledge of tennis when he decided to start training his daughters. Regardless, Williams did what he could to teach his daughters, drafting up a 78-page plan mapping out their careers and taking them to practice on courts in Compton.

It’s an amazing story, as Richard Williams tutelage and his daughters’ incredible skill and hard work resulted in Venus and Serena Williams being two of the best tennis players of all time. Together, Venus and Serena have won several doubles Grand Slam titles and gold medals, and they have both earned several Grand Slam titles on their own.

And while Will Smith is an incredibly talented actor, some have raised issue with the fact that Smith, a lighter-skinned Black man, is playing the part of Richard, a dark-skinned Black man. Will Smith hasn’t yet commented on the colorism claims, but for as many fans who praised the casting choice, just as many others have asked why a darker-skinned actor wasn’t chosen. Hopefully, Smith and others attached to the film will listen to audience concerns and address the colorism criticism quickly and respectfully.

We are so excited to see the “origin story” of Venus and Serena Williams while also learning about the determined man who fathered and coached the two into the history books. We’ll keep you posted as more news breaks about this film.