Former NFL quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick is marking his return to the spotlight with a show about his life.
The six-episode Netflix series “Colin in Black & White,” co-created by Ava DuVernay, does not premiere until Oct. 29, but already Kaepernick is being applauded for his acting abilities.
Series writer Michael Starrbury raved about the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s performance online in a tweet that read: “Wait until you see how cool, calm and collected @Kaepernick7 is in his own show. He has acting chops and maybe he even caught the acting bug! We need to find a Marvel Superhero for Colin to play!”
Kaepernick seemed all game as he tweeted in response, ‘If you write it I’m in!” His following of supportive fans are equally as receptive to seeing Kaepernick take on a legendary acting role.
Whether or not the superhero idea comes to pass, audiences will still be able to enjoy seeing his life played out on the screen through the series based on his adolescent years. “Colin in Black & White” is narrated by the former football player, while a teen version of himself is played by actor Jaden Michael. The story promises to showcase the teen “navigating race, class and cultural obstacles as Kaepernick, the Black adopted child of a white family.”
As a teaser, Netflix released five photos from the series to give viewers a sampling of what is to come. “I’m excited to share this first peek into a project I co-created with the incomparable Ava DuVernay over the past couple of years,” Kaepernick told The Hollywood Reporter. “I look forward to the world meeting the incredible Jaden Michael, a young actor who plays me during my high school years, just a kid growing up in Turlock, California who wanted to play ball.”
That kid indeed grew up to live his dream of playing professional football, he even made it to the Super Bowl in 2011. But his six-season career was derailed three years later after he began taking a knee during the singing of the national anthem at games. His decision was a a peaceful protest against the continued injustices committed against Black people in the U.S.
“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 on Aug. 27, 2016. “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.”
His continued kneeling sparked controversy and outrage from people who felt his protest was blatant disrespect to the flag, U?S. military troops, and the country as a whole. In the end, fans believe his unwavering stance against racial injustice cost him his football career. After not being picked up, or even considered, by a NFL team for three years, the NFL agreed to set up a workout for Kaepernick to showcase his skills. The occasion was a fiasco that ultimately concluded with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell saying the league was moving on once and for all.
While that chapter on Kaepernick’s football dreams was closed, he walked into new opportunities such as developing his own show and being offered a book deal to pen a memoir.
