Over his long career, Spike Lee has always jumped back and forth between documentaries and narrative features. It seems as if the filmmaker doesn’t necessarily think about what people expect from him and just does what he wants. That probably comes from being one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of the past four decades. Regardless, his next project seems to be a new docuseries about the controversial sports figure/activist, Colin Kaepernick.
According to ESPN, Spike Lee is set to produce and direct a new docuseries about the life and career of Colin Kaepernick. For those that don’t know, Kaepernick grew up in the midwest where he was one of the only Black kids in his school. From there, he shined as an athlete and ended up as a very successful quarterback in the NFL. However, when he started kneeling during the National Anthem, as a silent protest against the ongoing issue of racism in the US, he was blacklisted from the NFL and essentially lost his athletic career. From there, he has remained an activist speaking out on issues of race.
This isn’t the first time Kaepernick’s story has been brought to the people. In addition to this new docuseries, Netflix recently premiered the first season of Ava DuVernay’s series, “Colin in Black and White,” which took a narrative approach to the athlete’s troubled childhood. That six-episode series was generally well-received by critics and viewers.
A title for the docuseries, along with a release date, has yet to be revealed. But with Spike Lee attached to direct, you better believe we’ll be keeping a close eye on this project.
