Colin Kaepernick's life is becoming a limited series for Netflix. Kaepernick is teaming with Ava DuVernay for Colin in Black & White, a limited series that will focus on the footballer's formative high school years, "lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today," Netflix said in a release.
"With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally," DuVernay said in a statement. "Colin's story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience. I couldn't be happier than to tell this story with the team at Netflix."
Michael Starrbury will write and executive produce with DuVernay and Kaepernick. Kaepernick will appear as himself as the narrator of the six-episode miniseries. According to Netflix, the series was conceived in 2019 and writing wrapped in May. Look for the show to provide an "introspective look at Kaepernick's early life as a Black child growing up with a white adopted 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," Kaepernick said in a statement. "We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It's an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see."
Starrbury and DuVernay previously collaborated on When They See Us, the story of the Exonerated Five. It received 16 Emmy nominations and won a Peabody Award.
Kaepernick made headlines in 2016 when he kneeled during the national anthem at football games as an act of protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
"We're proud to bring Colin's experience and his creative vision to life as he joins Ava to share his powerful story and message with all our members around the world," Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, said in a statement. "It is an unparalleled union of two strong and defining voices coming together to tell the story about what it's like to be Black in America."