A much-publicized, multi-part documentary series for ESPN Films about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is no longer proceeding with the company.
“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” an ESPN spokesperson told The Athletic. “Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”
Reuters first reported the news Saturday night. The global news agency spoke with Lee on the red carpet ahead of the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation dinner, a fundraiser for cancer research and treatment, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Lee told Reuters, “It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say.”
When asked why, Lee declined specifics, citing a nondisclosure agreement.
A source briefed on the breakup confirmed to The Athletic that it was due to creative differences, but the source declined to provide specifics, saying that the two sides failed to get on the same page over the years the project was in development. It is believed the series can still be shopped elsewhere.
Over the years, there has been reporting about the production delays of the docuseries that had been tentatively titled “Da Saga of Colin Kaepernick.” Lee told The Washington Post in 2023, “We’re still working on it. You know, when I got the call to do it, from Kap, I said, ‘Of course.’ But it takes time. This is an opportunity for him to tell his story at length.”
Puck’s Matt Belloni reported last September on what he noted as creative differences in the vision of where the focus of the docuseries should be between Kaepernick’s story and a broader telling of the history of Black athletes in professional sports and social justice. Now, three weeks before the start of the NFL season, the project is done at ESPN.
Within this ecosystem, ESPN recently acquired the league’s NFL Network and substantial rights to RedZone, along with other content assets, in exchange for the NFL getting a 10 percent ownership stake in ESPN. One of the overriding questions about the deal will be how ESPN covers its financial partner heading forward. The deal remains subject to regulatory approval from the Trump administration.
The news comes in stark contrast to how the relationship began between Disney and Kaepernick. In 2020, in a splashy press release, the Walt Disney Company announced a first-look deal with Kaepernick’s production arm. Disney said the “partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity, and will provide a new platform to showcase the work of Black and Brown directors and producers.”
“Colin’s experience gives him a unique perspective on the intersection of sports, culture and race,” Disney executive chairman Bob Iger said at the time, “which will undoubtedly create compelling stories that will educate, enlighten and entertain, and we look forward to working with him on this important collaboration.”
During his six-year career with the San Francisco 49ers, Kaepernick passed for 12,271 yards and 72 touchdowns with 30 interceptions. He also rushed for 2,300 yards and 13 scores during that stretch and led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013. He compiled a 28-30 record as a starter.
Kaepernick last played in the NFL during the 2016 season when he began to protest police brutality against Black people and systemic injustice against people of color by kneeling during the national anthem. He’s continued to express a desire over the years to play in the NFL again, but never returned to the league.
(Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Gordon Parks Foundation)