‘Colin in black and white’ will tell the story of the athlete and activist’s teenage life.
Colin Kaepernick’s formative years are turning into a Netflix series.
The athlete and activist partners with Ava DuVernay to Colin in black and white, a limited scripted drama that has been picked up directly from the series on the streaming giant.
The six-episode series will examine Kaepernick’s teenage life, focusing on his high school years and the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today. Kaepernick will appear as himself as the narrator for the series, which will play an actor to play the younger version of the star quarterback.
Kaepernick in 2016 protested racial injustice, police brutality, and systematic oppression when he knelt down during the national anthem before a San Francisco 49ers game. His act of protest, at the time, was seen as polarizing with both NFL officials and fans, and ultimately sparked the wrath of President Trump, who urged team owners to fire players protesting during the National anthem. Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 and filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its owners, alleging that they had collaborated to keep him out of the league. He remains a free agent. More recently, following the murder of George Floyd by the Minnesota police, Kaepernick has become another face of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury will write the script and act as executive producer alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick. Starrbury previously partnered with DuVernay on Netflix’s Peabody-winning limited series When they see us based on Central Park 5.
“With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick started a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him personally,” said DuVernay. “Colin’s story has a lot to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resistance. He couldn’t be happier than telling this story with the Netflix team.”
According to Netflix, the drama was conceived in 2019 and completed the scripts in May. The streamer describes the series as an introspective look at the early years of Kaepernick’s life as a black boy growing up with an adopted white family and his journey to become a great quarterback while defining his identity.
“Too often we see race and black stories portrayed through a white lens,” said Kaepernick. “We seek to give a new perspective to the different realities that blacks face. We explored the racial conflicts that I faced as a black man adopted into a white community during my high school years. It is an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava. for the world to see. “
Colin in black and white is the latest DuVernay television series, below When they see us OWN Queen Sugar and Cherish the day. The Netflix series falls outside its general agreement with Warner Bros. TV Group.
“We are proud to bring Colin’s experience and creative vision to life when he teams up with Ava to share his powerful story and message with all of our members around the world,” said Cindy Holland, original vp on Netflix. “It is an incomparable union of two strong and defining voices coming together to tell the story of what it is to be black in the United States.”
Kaepernick has been expanding his presence in Hollywood lately. In February, he signed an agreement with Audible for multiple projects, including the audio version of his upcoming memoirs. He is self-publishing the book, about the life experiences that led him to risk his career by kneeling down during the national anthem, through his Kaepernick Publishing banner.
