Colin Kaepernick goes back to high school in a new Netflix show about his teen years - here's a first look

Netflix released the first photos for its upcoming scripted series "Colin in Black and White," which will premiere October 29.

The half-hour show will follow a young Colin Kaepernick in his high school years. Kaepernick co-created the series with Ava DuVernay, whose Emmy-winning "When They See Us" is also available on the streamer.

"I'm excited to share this first peek into a project I co-created with the incomparable Ava DuVernay over the past couple of years," Kaepernick said in a press statement on Thursday. "I look forward to the world meeting the incredible Jaden Michael, a young actor who plays me during my high school years, just a kid growing up in Turlock, California, who wanted to play ball."

DuVernay told The Hollywood Reporter that working with Kaepernick to tell his life story was a "deeply collaborative process."

"You'll see it as not just a straight story, there's nonlinearity and genre-hopping within the piece. All of those conversations and the experimentation were something that we did together," she said in July.

The series, according to Netflix's official synopsis, will explore "obstacles of race, class, and culture as the Black adopted child of a white family." These are topics that Kaepernick is still vocal about in adulthood.

"With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture, and for him, personally," Duvernay said in a statement when "Colin in Black and White" was first announced in June 2020. "Colin's story has much to say about identity, sports and the enduring spirit of protest and resilience."

Kaepernick sparked a conversation about race and social justice around the nation in 2016, when he began taking a knee to peacefully protest police brutality incidents happening all over the country during San Francisco 49ers football games.

"I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder," he explained in an interview with NFL.com at the time.

He didn't renew his contract with the team for the following season and has not been signed by another team since — but in 2018, he became the face of Nike.

Michael told Entertainment Weekly that he feels the weight that comes with portraying someone like Kaepernick, who is revered for being more than just a quarterback who has made it to the Super Bowl.

"A lot of stresses come with a project of this magnitude," he said. "These conversations need to be had. On the forefront of my mind was, do I want to attack these conversations, or do I want to sort of make an experience for everyone?"

Michael told Entertainment Weekly he hopes that people who disagree with Kaepernick's beliefs still watch the show.

"I found that I think it's most important for people who don't agree with Colin to find a safe place to watch something interesting and informative where they can redo their research and try and understand Colin from a different perspective," he said.

"Colin in Black and White" also stars Amarr Wooten, Mace Coronel, and Klarke Pipkin. Kaepernick will narrate the series.