Liev Schreiber cast in King Richard

Liev Schreiber has been cast in 'King Richard'.

The 'Ray Donovan' star has signed up for the project, which tells the story of how Richard Williams guided daughters Venus and Serena to tennis stardom from a tough upbringing in Compton, Los Angeles.

According to Deadline, Liev will play the role of real-life tennis coach Paul Cohen, who has worked with legends of the game such as John McEnroe and Pete Sampras.

It has also been confirmed that Susie Abromeit, who is set to play New York Times reporter Robin Finn.

Will Smith will play Richard in the film, which is helmed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton are set to play the young Venus and Serena respectively, whilst Aunjanue Ellis will play their mother, Brandi. Jon Bernthal will also appear as Rich Macci, the man who trained the Williams sisters from a young age.

The 51-year-old actor is among the production team, with wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her brother, Caleb Pinkett, also serving as executive producers on the project.

The famous sisters were still teenagers when Serena, now 38, won the US Open in 1999 and Venus, 39, won Wimbledon in 2000.

Serena has gone on to win a total of 23 individual Grand Slam tournaments, whilst Venus has won seven Grand Slam titles.

Speaking of her father's influence on her life, Serena previously said: "He's been the most important person in my career. I do miss my dad obviously. I miss him all the time.

"I call him. I try to reach out to him a lot. He calls me. He watches my matches. He still tells me things that I'm not doing right.

"It all started with an idea. It was his idea. It's changed sports. It's changed history."

The flick is slated for release on November 25.