It’s safe to say that the athlete-turned-activist approves of the casting. “I never thought I would be casting a young me in a show about my life,” he tweeted. “I can’t wait for the world to see @ItsJadenMichael be an all-star on @netflix #ColinInBlackAndWhite @ava”
Michael has been featured in the Netflix series The Get Down, along with the films Wonderstruck and Paterson, and television shows Blue Bloods and Gotham. Most recently, Michael worked on Lorne Michael’s comedy Vampires vs. The Bronx as the lead role.
Colin in Black & White was first announced in June. The show will focus on “Kaepernick’s formative high school years, providing insight into the experiences that informed his activism today,” Entertainment Weekly reported at the time. “It will follow his journey to become a great quarterback while defining his identity and lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today.”
Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem before a football game in 2016 to highlight the issues of police brutality and racial discrimination.
“I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color,” Kaepernick told NFL Media that August. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.”
DuVernay’s show will give an introspective look at the the athlete-turned-activist growing up. “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 in a statement at the time. “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 will narrate the series as his present-day self. “Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick also said in the 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.”
Later this year, a memoir about Kaepernick’s decision to protest is expected to be published. In February, he announced that the book will be released by his publishing house, Kaepernick Publishing. “Why did I do it? Why did I do it at that moment? Why wasn’t it earlier in my career? A lot of questions surrounding what led me to that point. Which led me to wanting to share that story and give insight,” the athlete-turned activist revealed.
A release date for the memoir has yet to be revealed.
