Tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams are returning behind the scenes — this time to executive produce a high-powered new feature film, The Match, with their half-sister Isha Price. The three, who were executive producers on the critically beloved and Oscar-nominated King Richard, are coming together to bring another uplifting tale from the history of tennis to the big screen.

The Match is an adaptation from Bruce Schoenfeld’s book, The Match: Althea Gibson & Angela Buxton: How Two Outsiders – One Black, the Other Jewish – Forged a Friendship and Made Sports History as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The movie adaptation will tell the story of the improbable friendship of tennis pioneers Althea Gibson and Angela Buxton, who battled racial and religious prejudice in 1950s England to claim the women’s doubles crown at Wimbledon in 1956. Their triumph and lasting friendship shattered barriers in professional athletics during a period of extreme social bias.

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Black American Althea Gibson and Jewish Briton Angela Buxton, both victims of racism and exclusion within their home country and the tennis community, but whose relationship and determination created a historic Wimbledon victory — with Gibson later claiming the coveted singles title in 1957. It is a story of strength, unity, and transformation, a narrative that greatly resonates with the Williams sisters, who themselves have shattered the barriers within the sport.

Screenwriter Liz Maccie, who previously worked on Nonnas for Netflix, will bring Schoenfeld’s book to life on the screen. The project is being produced by 1Community, Access Entertainment, and Four Daughters, with production teams involving Richard Stern, Navid McIlhargey, Julie R. Snyder, Emily Blavatnik, Danny Cohen, Scott Budnick, and Ameet Shukla. Caroline Currier will handle the project on behalf of Serena Williams’ production company, Nine Two Six Productions.

Serena Williams (l) and Venus Williams introduce Beyonc s performance of Be Alive from King Richard at the start of the 94th Academy Awards © Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY© Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

For Venus and Serena, The Match is another move toward increased clout in Hollywood and in narrative. Their efforts on King Richard — which highlighted the role their father played in developing their tennis careers — were praised for their authenticity and emotional resonance.

With The Match, they again are sharing their voices and their vision with a tennis narrative that extends beyond sport to address larger cultural and historical concerns.

With this latest project, the Williams sisters and Isha Price shine a spotlight on the life-changing potential of sport, breathing new life into a part of history that ought to be better known. The Match is poised to be as much an inspiring salute to two unheralded women as it is an extension of the Williams dynasty’s legacy both on and off the court.