Production begins on ESPN's Colin Kaepernick docuseries, with Spike Lee directing
Colin Kaepernick is becoming the latest famous athlete to get the docuseries treatment, and he has a big name behind the effort now.
ESPN announced Wednesday that Spike Lee is directing its multi-part documentary about the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, which has reportedly entered production. The project is part of ESPN parent company Disney's first-look deal with Kaepernick's Ra Vision Media.
The documentary had been previously announced to cover Kaepernick's final season with the Niners and his efforts to find another team. Now, ESPN has added a little more detail on what that will look like:
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.
In addition to Lee, who was seen with Kaepernick in his courtside seats at the New York Knicks game Wednesday, former ESPN personality Jemele Hill is also attached as a producer. The documentary will reportedly be executive produced by ESPN Films and produced by Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks.
Very excited to be part of this historic collaboration #Lesssgooooo https://t.co/2vKR8IOGCM
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) February 3, 2022
Extended looks into athletes' careers have been in vogue ever since ESPN's "The Last Dance" series on Michael Jordan became a phenomenon, with Tom Brady's "Man in the Arena" series and Apple TV+'s upcoming Magic Johnson project among the most notable examples. Kaepernick obviously took a different path to notability than that group, but there should still be plenty said whenever the series comes out.
This also isn't the first media project to be released on Kaepernick's life or career, as Netflix's "Colin in Black and White," directed by Ava DuVernay, was released last October.
