It has been four months since Netflix announced they would be producing a series on the life of athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick. The streaming service now has more details to share about the show as they have cast the two actors set to play Kaepernick’s parents.
People reports that Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman and Weeds actress have both been announced by Netflix as the performers taking on Kaepernick’s parents' roles. Offerman will play Rick Kaepernick, while Parker will take on the role of Teresa Kaepernick.
The Kaepernicks are the athlete-activist’s adoptive parents. They took him in as a baby and, as Netflix describes it, raised him in a family and community that is majority white. The Netflix series, titled Colin in Black and White, will chronicle Kaepernick’s time in high school.
The Loop says that Offerman and Parker will be joining 17-year-old Jaden Michael, who will be portraying Kaepernick as a high school student. As pointed out by the publication, the new roles will be a departure from Offerman and Parker’s most famous roles.
Offerman is best remembered by the public as Ron Swanson, Parks and Recreation’s hypermasculine character often seen eating bacon. Parker, meanwhile, became known to the general public as the mom who sold marijuana in Weeds.
Colin in Black and White is executive produced by Kaepernick, Michael Starrbury, and Ava DuVernay. Kaepernick will also be the narrator of the series.
When the series was first announced back in July, DuVernay described the series as a look at how an “American icon” was made. She also said the series would be exploring themes of identity, sports, protest, and resilience.
Colin in Black and White is not the only project being done on the athlete-activist. Kaepernick has also signed a first-look deal with Disney, which he described as a “historic partnership.” The activist said he aims to use this as a way to bring forward the work of creators of color.
The first project with Disney is an ESPN documentary that will follow his time as a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and his journey towards becoming a prominent activist. The documentary will be executive produced by ESPN executives Libby Geist, Kevin Merida, and Connor Schell. Also on board as a producer is journalist Jemele Hill.
Kaepernick shot into the national spotlight in 2016 after kneeling when The Star-Spangled Banner was being played before starting a football game. It was an act of protest against the violence being perpetrated on African-Americans by the police force.