The revolution might not be televised, but it will be streamed. On June 29, Netflix announced that it is developing a six-episode scripted dramatic series from Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick about Kaepernick’s high-school years, called Colin in Black & White. Though the actor playing young Kaepernick hasn’t been announced yet, the quarterback himself will be lending his voice as the series’s narrator. Screenwriter Michael Starrbury, who previously worked with DuVernay on When They See Us, has written the series. The duo recently won a Peabody Award for their work on When They See Us.
Netflix describes Colin in Black & White as 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. “We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face,†Kaepernick said in a statement about the series. “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.†Added DuVernay, “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. 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.â€