Colin Kaepernick's high school years will become a Netflix docuseries from Ava DuVernay

Ava DuVernay

Source: Netflix Director Ava DuVernay and NFL quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick are making a Netflix series about his high school years. (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix today announced the upcoming docuseries Colin in Black and White , a scripted limited series from Colin Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay that explores the quarterback's adolescent years and how they grew him into the activist he is today.

The six-episode series wrapped up writing this May, and "provides an introspective 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."

Kaepernick was a star quarterback at Nevada in college and went on to play for six seasons for the San Francisco Giants in the NFL before being sidelined and ultimately blackballed for the simple act of silently kneeling during the National Anthem before games, to highlight police brutality and racial inequality.

Kaepernick — whose birth mother was white and whose biological father was from Ghana — was adopted by a white family in Wisconsin.

"Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens," Kaepernick in the Netflix press release. "We seek to give new perspective to the differing realities that Black people face. We explore the racial conflicts I faced as an adopted Black man in a white community, during my high school years. It's an honor to bring these stories to life in collaboration with Ava for the world to see."

DuVernay was nominated for an Academy Award and won an Emmy for When They See Us . With this series, she'll reunited with Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury, who writes and executive produces.

And as you'd expect, nobody's shying away from the tough conversations here.

"With his act of protest," DuVernay said, "Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally. Colin's story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience. I couldn't be happier than to tell this story with the team at Netflix."

Netflix has yet to give a release date for Colin in Black and White .