Netflix reveals first photos and announces premiere date for ‘Colin in Black & White’
The limited series is co-created by Ava DuVernay and will premiere on Oct. 29
Ever since Netflix announced plans to create a series based on the life of Colin Kaepernick, we’ve been dying for more details and it looks like the wait is finally over. The streamer announced that Colin in Black & White will premiere on Oct. 29 and even dropped some first look photos from the project.
The limited series is co-created by Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay, who will direct along with Robert Townsend, Sheldon Candis, Angel Kristi Williams, and Kenny Leon.
Here’s the official description:
From co-creators Ava DuVernay and Colin Kaepernick comes Colin in Black & White, a bold new limited series that chronicles Kaepernick’s coming of age story, tackling the obstacles of race, class and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family. Colin in Black & White stars Jaden Michael as Young Colin before reaching the highest levels of American football as an NFL quarterback and becoming a cultural icon and activist; Nick Offerman and Mary-Louise Parker as his well-meaning parents Rick and Teresa; and Colin Kaepernick himself, who appears as the present-day narrator of his own story, guiding viewers through a robust and colorfully presented array of historical and contemporary contextual moments. You don’t know Kaepernick until you know Colin.
“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 said in a statement. “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.”
Check out the first photos:
Aside from this highly-anticipated series, Kaepernick is telling his story in other ways. In July, the 33-year-old athlete turned activist announced plans to release a children’s book I Color Myself Different, based on the moment he realized he appeared differently than his white adopted family members.
The Eric Wilkerson-illustrated book is due out on April 5, 2022, and is set to be the first of multiple books released by Scholastic in partnership with Kaepernick Publishing, who together have agreed on a multi-book publishing deal.
The book recounts a story from Kaepernick’s childhood when, while drawing his family during a kindergarten class, he used the color yellow for the rest of his family members’ skin but brown for his own. This was his first time confronting the difference in appearance, and it empowered him to accept himself for who he is.
“This story is deeply personal to me and inspired by real events in my life…I hope that it honors the courage and bravery of young people everywhere by encouraging them to live life with authenticity and purpose,” Kaepernick said in a press release. “I’m excited for Kaepernick Publishing to be collaborating with Scholastic on books with Black and Brown voices at the forefront,” he added. “I hope that our books will inspire readers to walk through the world with confidence, strength, and truth in all they do.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
