Ava DuVernay's Colin Kaepernick series casts Jaden Michael as the athlete and activist
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Ava DuVernay's Colin Kaepernick limited series has found its star.
Actor Jaden Michael will portray the influential football player and activist during his formative high school years in Colin in Black & White, Netflix announced Monday.
Michael has appeared in Todd Haynes' drama Wonderstruck, Baz Lurhmann's The Get Down, and the indie feature Custody alongside Viola Davis and Ellen Burstyn. Most recently, Michael starred in Lorne Michaels' comedy Vampires vs. The Bronx.
The project, created by the filmmaker and Kaepernick, was first announced in June. Michael Starrbury, whom DuVernay collaborated with on When They See Us, will write and serve as executive producer, alongside the director and Kaepernick, who will appear as himself as narrator of the limited series. DuVernay will also direct the show's first episode.
The six-episode series will provide an introspective look at Kaepernick's adolescent years as a Black teen growing up with a white adopted family. 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. The football star first made headlines in 2016, when he kneeled during the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality against Black people.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Netflix
"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 said in a statement when the series was announced. "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."
A release date for the series has not been announced yet.
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."
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