Jaden Michael cast as young Colin Kaepernick in Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series
Young Kaep has been cast in Netflix's Colin in Black & White.
Colin Kaepernick shared the news on social media Tuesday, writing, "I never thought I would be casting a young me in a show about my life. I can’t wait for the world to see @ItsJadenMichael be an all-star on @netflix."
I never thought I would be casting a young me in a show about my life. I can’t wait for the world to see @ItsJadenMichael be an all-star on @netflix #ColinInBlackAndWhite @ava pic.twitter.com/ygb4F4kgM5
— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) October 27, 2020
Michael soon celebrated his casting, calling it “an honor to be given this opportunity.”
Wow, it’s truly an honor to be given this oppourtunity. Thanks @ava and @Kaepernick7 ! Can’t wait to bring this much needed story to life, especially in these trying times. ✊🏽 #ColininBlackandWhite https://t.co/NQhGztc7iw
— Jaden Michael (@ItsJadenMichael) October 27, 2020
Ava DuVernay, who created the show with Kaepernick, also celebrated the news.
Collaborating with @Kaepernick7 on this series has been a proud journey. Thanks to @Netflix and our partner @StarrburyMike. A story about identity, imagination and intention. Congrats, @ItsJadenMichael! https://t.co/Y5REayxgLL
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 27, 2020
Jaden Michael, who describes himself as an “actor and activist” in his Twitter bio, is known for playing Miguel Martinez in the Lorne Michaels-produced Vampires vs. the Bronx on Netflix. The 17-year-old also appeared in the film Wonderstruck and had a recurring role in Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series The Get Down.
Colin in Black & White, which DuVernay calls “a story about identity, imagination and intention,” is about the adolescent life of the one-time NFL star quarterback and civil rights activist, who infamously took a knee during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality — and went on to essentially be blackballed by the league over it.
The six-episode scripted series will focus on Kaepernick’s young life — growing up as a Black child with a white adopted family — and his high school years in Turlock, Calif., before he became a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and, through his protest, an important figure in the Black Lives Matter movement. Kaepernick will serve as the narrator of the series.
DuVernay is set to direct the first episode of the series while her When They See Us collaborator Michael Starrbury writes and serves as executive producer.
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