Oscar nominee and Emmy Award winner Ava DuVernay is working with Colin Kaepernick on Colin in Black & White, a limited series set up at Netflix. Colin in Black & White will focus on Kaepernick’s high school years and will feature the activist athlete as the narrator. Kaepernick will also be involved as an executive producer along with DuVernay.
Emmy Award nominee Michael Starrbury is writing the limited series and will also executive produce. Starrbury and DuVernay recently worked on the critically acclaimed, award-winning Netflix series When They See Us. That limited series earned 16 Emmy nominations and was honored with a Peabody Award.
“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,” stated 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.”
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” said Kaepernick. “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.”
Colin in Black & White will consist of six episodes. Netflix has not yet confirmed a premiere date.
“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,” said Cindy Holland, Vice President, Original Content for Netflix. “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.”
The Series Description, Courtesy of Netflix:
The adolescent life of all-star athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick will come to television screens around the world in Colin in Black & White. The series 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.
The six-episode series, which was conceived in 2019 and recently completed writing in May, provides 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.
