Here For It: Colin Kaepernick's Life to Become Netflix Series From Ava DuVernay
Article By Antoinette Evans // EEW Magazine // Activism + Entertainment
Have you heard that Colin Kaepernick's formative years are becoming a Netflix series? Well, it’s true, and EEW Magazine Online editors are totally here for it.
The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the former NFL quarterback and activist is teaming with Ava DuVernay for Colin in Black & White, a scripted limited drama that has been picked up by the streaming giant.
The six-episode series will give viewers a look inside Kaepernick's adolescent life and high school years and the experiences that molded him into the influential activist he is today. Kaepernick will narrate the series, and an actor will be cast to play the younger version of the athlete.
When Kaepernick, then a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began his peaceful demonstration in 2016, he wanted to highlight the problems of police brutality and racial injustice. He faced immense pushback and was ostracized from the league. President Donald Trump criticized Kaepernick and other players who took a knee and still insists they’re disrespecting the flag, the country and the military.
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Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 and filed a lawsuit against the NFL and its owners, citing collusion to keep him out of the league. He remains a free agent.
"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,” said DuVernay. “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.”
Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury will write script and serve as executive producer alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick. Starrbury previously teamed with DuVernay on Netflix's Peabody-winning limited series When They See Us, based on the Central Park 5.
