According to Deadline, Spike Lee has signed on to direct the upcoming Colin Kaepernick docuseries for ESPN, which was first announced in 2020. Lee has been a longtime supporter of the Quarterback.
In 2016, as the QB for the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick took a knee during the national anthem to spread awareness about police brutality and social injustice. This led to a movement throughout the league and became a major topic throughout the U.S., eventually resulting in him being blackballed by the NFL.
He and former teammate Eric Reid filed a lawsuit against the league, citing that team owners had colluded to keep them unsigned for their protests. Kaepernick remains unsigned.
Kaepernick’s story was already featured in the Netflix miniseries Colin In Black & White last year with Kaepernick, Ava DuVernay, and Paul Garnes as executive producers. But that project was a mix of genres; Lee’s will be the first unscripted look at the ex-49er’s life and will be told from Kaepernick’s point of view.
Lee is famous for his films that focus on social justice, best known for directing movies like Malcolm X, Do The Right Thing, Da 5 Bloods, and a whole lot more.
He’s also helmed documentaries such as 4 Little Girls, about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, and concert film David Byrne’s American Utopia.
He’s arguably the perfect director to tackle Kaepernick’s story, which remains incredibly relevant in and outside the league, as the NFL is currently being sued in a class action suit by coach Brian Flores for racial discrimination. Despite the league being made up of over 70% Black players, there’s currently only one Black coach out of 32 teams, and zero Black owners.
Kaepernick initially made a statement when the project was first announced a few years ago:
“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives. I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”
There’s currently no official title or release date for the project, but Lee coming onboard is very exciting. Fingers crossed that this docuseries can get anywhere close to Ezra Edelman‘s masterpiece O.J.: Made In America – also made for ESPN and also focusing on the intersection of race, sport, the media, and more.
#Peace.Love.ColinKaepernick
