Netflix's Colin Kaepernick series casts Jaden Michael in lead role

Netflix has found its young Colin Kaepernick for the series Colin In Black & White.The Get Down actor Jaden Michael, 17, will portray the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback as a teenager in the scripted series.According to the streaming service, the six-episode series will explore Kaepernick's years as a Black teen growing up with a white adoptive family and how it informed the person he is today.

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

Kaepernick will executive produce the series with Ava DuVernay. Michael Starrbury, who previously worked with DuVernay on her series When They See Us, is writing the series.Starrbury will also executive produce alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick, who will narrate and appear in the series.Netflix also says that the series will also follow Kaepernick's journey to becoming a great quarterback while defining his identity and lending meaningful insight into the acts and experiences that led him to become the activist he is today.[video_embed id='5644596614001']RELATED: Colin Kaepernick Named 'Citizen of the Year'[/video_embed]Kaepernick started the #TakeAKnee movement in 2016 when he decided to kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality and police brutality. He has not played for the NFL since he opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017.Many politicians, NFL fans and fellow players criticized Kaepernick for taking a knee, with some fans even burning his jersey.The #TakeAKnee movement gained more attention in May after the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in police custody by a white police officer was filmed brutally kneeling against his neck.Floyd's death ignited nationwide protests over police brutality and racial injustice and shined more light to Kaepernick’s peaceful demonstration.The release date for Colin In Black & White has yet to be announced.[video_embed id='2064060']BEFORE YOU GO: Here are the promises Donald Trump kept and failed to keep during his term[/video_embed]