Spike Lee to Direct Colin Kaepernick Multi-Part Documentary for ESPN
Spike Lee is set to direct a multi-part documentary on athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick for ESPN Films, Variety has confirmed.
Production has started on the documentary, which was first announced in July 2020 as part of Kaepernick’s first-look deal with Walt Disney through his production company, Ra Vision Media.
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“Kaepernick, who has never given a full, first-person account of his journey, is collaborating closely with Lee who plans to use extensive new interviews and a vast never-before-seen archive to help Kaepernick tell his story from his perspective,” the press release states.
Kaepernick recently executive produced and starred in the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White,” which premiered on the streamer in October. Starring Jaden Michael as a young Kaepernick, the show chronicles the athlete’s formative years, focusing on how he navigated obstacles of race, culture and class as a Black child adopted into a white family.
Kaepernick rose to prominence in the football world as the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He played six seasons in the NFL, leading the team in championship games including Super Bowl XLVII. In 2016, Kaepernick began to kneel during the national anthem in order to protest police brutality and systemic racism in America. After that season ended, Kaepernick became a free agent and went unsigned by any other NFL team. In November 2017, the former player filed a grievance with the NFL, claiming that they were conspiring to keep him out of the league. In February 2019, he reached a settlement with the NFL and remains a free agent.
Trailblazing director Lee, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for 2019’s “BlacKkKlansman,” most recently helmed Netflix’s “Da 5 Bloods.” His other documentary work includes 1997’s “4 Little Girls” and the HBO series “NYC Epicenters: 9/11 – 2021?.”
ESPN Films will executive produce the documentary, in association with 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. Former ESPN television personality Jemele Hill will also serve as a producer on the project.
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