COLIN + AVA: DREAM TEAM
Kaepernick + DuVernay's Powerful Series
If there is anyone who could tell Colin Kaepernick’s story in TV format, it’s goddess Ava DuVernay. And that is about to happen on Netflix.
Emmy-nominated writer Michael Starrbury (When They See Us) finished the script for the series, Colin in Black and White, in May. That means we could see it on Netflix as early as next summer if production ramps up soon.
Colin in Black and White is not a docuseries. Instead, DuVernay and Kaepernick, who serve as executive producers, have chosen to tell this story through drama. The series starts with Kaepernick’s childhood as an adopted child raised by white parents. The series chronicles his rise to football stardom, where he ultimately led a protest that left him ostracized from his profession. Kaepernick will lend his voice to the series as its narrator.
“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick said. “We seek to give a new perspective to the different 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.”
The series announcement comes at the perfect time. While corporations and sports leagues announce changes and support for the Black Lives Matter movement, the NFL is finally starting to voice its support of Black athletes. Like Kaepernick, until very recently, they have relied on other avenues to express freedom of speech and protest to keep their jobs. No more, we say.
PROVOKR looks forward to this project.
