The ripple effects caused by the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd continue to be felt even in the film and entertainment industry as stories about the Black experience and Black personalities continue to take center stage. The latest project to be announced is a Netflix series centered on the life of Colin Kaepernick.
ESPN reports that the streaming giant will be producing a six-part series about the 32-year-old athlete and activist with Ava DuVernay, Michael Starrbury, and Kaepernick himself serving as executive producers.
The scripted dramatic series will be titled Colin in Black and White and will trace the roots of his activism as it explores his years as a high school quarterback. In a press release, Kaepernick said that the series will explore his experiences in a white community as an adopted Black man. Kaepernick will also be narrating the series while an actor will be playing his younger self.
Meanwhile, DuVernay tweeted that the series will track the making of “a singular American icon.” In a statement, she also said that Kaepernick’s story explores resilience, protest, sports, and identity.
As recounted by CNN, Kaepernick first gained national attention in 2016 when he knelt rather stand up when the national anthem of the United States was being played before the start of a football game. The action was done to protest police shootings of African-Americans by police, which as the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests show, is still very much a problem in the United States.
While the protest action made him an icon against police brutality, it resulted in him not being hired by any teams in the National Football League since 2017.
Aside from Colin in Black and White, another production that centers the Black experience is set to make a debut on Netflix’s rival streaming service, Disney+. Black Is King is a visual album written, directed, and executive produced by Beyoncé and will feature appearances from some of the artists that took part in The Lion King: The Gift album. That album was personally curated by Beyoncé herself and was the soundtrack for Disney’s live-action The Lion King remake.
In the press release for Black Is King, it is revealed that the visual album will highlight Black tradition, Black culture, Black excellence, and Black resilience as it tells the story of a young man who experiences love, betrayal, and learns about self-identity.