Colin Kaepernick Netflix Series Casts Jaden Michael in Lead Role

Netflix has founds its young Colin Kaepernick.

The streamer’s “Colin in Black & White” series has cast “The Get Down” alum Jaden Michael to play the talented quarterback during his formative high school years.

News of Michael’s casting comes around four months after Kaepernick was announced as teaming with Ava DuVernay on the six-episode series. The show aims to provide a look at Kaepernick’s early life as a Black child growing up with a white adopted family and his journey to become a great quarterback while defining his identity. It will also explore what led him to become a civil rights advocate.

Michael Starrbury, who previously worked with DuVernay on her acclaimed limited series “When They See Us,” is writing the series. He is executive producing alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick, who is set to narrate and appear in the series as himself. 

Kaepernick has played six seasons in the NFL to date for the San Francisco 49ers, setting multiple records and receiving numerous accolades. In 2016, he received worldwide attention when he began kneeling during the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality and systemic racism in America. After that season ended, Kaepernick became a free agent and went unsigned by any other NFL team. He filed a lawsuit against the league, claiming they were working against him to keep him from playing, before reaching a settlement with the NFL in 2019. He remains a free agent to this day, with regular calls for teams to turn to him in their time of quarterback need.

Other than “The Get Down,” Michael’s past credits include Todd Haynes’ drama “Wonderstruck,” and the indie feature “Custody,” in which he starred opposite Viola Davis and Ellen Burstyn. Most recently, Michael played the lead role in Lorne Michaels’ comedy “Vampires vs. The Bronx.” He is repped by A3 Artists Agency, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Sloss Eckhouse LawCo.

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