Ava DuVernay & Michael Starrbury’s previous collaboration brought us the nerve-racking, 16 times Emmy nominated series When They See Us. Presently, the two artists are working on another series with a storyline — The Life of Colin Kaepernick.
Colin in Dark & White, a modern scripted limited series made by DuVernay and Kaepernick, takes after the previous San Francisco 49ers’ early life, Netflix declared on Monday. The football star made features in 2016 when he kneeled amid the national anthem before games in resentment of police brutality against Black individuals.
The series centers on Kaepernick’s formative high school time, giving knowledge into the encounters that educated his activism today. Starrbury composes and serves as official producer, alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick, who narrates the series.
The six-episode series was created in 2019 and completed composing in May, moreover touches on Kaepernick’s early life as a Dark child developing up with a white embraced family, his athletic career, and understanding his identity.
DuVernay in a statement “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,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 added “Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens. 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.”
No release date has been announced yet.
Last year’s When They See Us, which DuVernay created, co-wrote, and directed, shed light on the real-life story of five male teenagers of color who were falsely accused and prosecuted for the sexual assault of a woman in New York City. Jharrel Jerome won an Emmy for his portrayal of Korey Wise, one of the Central Park Five, while DuVernay and Starrbury were nominated for writing the fourth episode.
In February, Kaepernick revealed he’s releasing his memoir later this year through his newly launched publishing label; the book has been described as “part political awakening and part memoir.”
