Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick will be the narrator and executive producer of a six-part Netflix drama series focusing on his high school years, the production company announced Monday.
Kaepernick is teaming with filmmaker Ava DuVernay on the scripted series, titled “Colin in Black & White,” which completed writing in May and could begin filming later this year. An actor will be cast to play the young Kaepernick.
The show will “focus on Kaepernick’s formative high school years, lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today,” according to a press release.
“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.”
Kaepernick, now 32, went to high school in Turlock, Calif. He went on to play in college at Nevada before being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2011, helping them reach the Super Bowl after the 2012 season.
He began kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and racial injustice in August 2016. He has not played since the end of the 2016 season and 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,” 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.”
Kaepernick also is working on a memoir, set to be released through his own publishing company.
