With all eyes on the NFL and its potentially discriminatory hiring practices due to a lawsuit filed by former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores on Tuesday, there’s some news about a former quarterback who may have at least partially inspired the 40-year-old coach to take on the league in court.
After announcing a partnership deal with Colin Kaepernick’s production arm Ra Vision Media in the summer of 2020, Walt Disney-owned ESPN Films announced that the first project related to that agreement will be a multi-part documentary about the 34-year-old ex-QB directed by Spike Lee. Former ESPN television personality Jemele Hill, whose exit from The Worldwide Leader was somewhat controversial, will be a producer on the project.
“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,” per ESPN. “The documentary will be executive produced by ESPN Films and produced by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.”
The unnamed series arrives on the heels of Kaepernick’s previous collaboration with Ava DuVernay on a six-part Netflix series about his teenage years called Colin in Black and White. In addition to covering Kaepernick’s life as a teen, the series for ESPN Films will cover the quarterback’s childhood, college career for Nevada and up-and-down tenure in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
“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,” Kaepernick said in 2020 when the partnership was first announced. “I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”
Further details on the forthcoming project with Lee will be announced at a later date.
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