There will be two notable actors in the upcoming Colin Kaepernick Netflix series. On Thursday, the streaming service announced Mary Louise Parker and Nick Offerman will play Kapernick’s parents in the series Colin in Black & White. Rick and Teresa Kaepernick welcomed the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback through adoption as a baby.
As mentioned in the press release as reported by PEOPLE, Kaepernick’s parents “must navigate what it means to raise a Black child in a predominantly white family and community.” The six-episode series will take a look at Kaepernick’s years as a teenager growing up with a White adoptive family and how he became the person he is today. Colin in Black & White is created by Ava DuVernay, and it will star Jaden Michael as Kaepernick.
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“Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens,” Kaepernick said in a 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.”
Parker, 56, first gained attention for her role as Ruth Jamison in the 1991 film Fried Green Tomatoes. She went on to star in films such as The Client, Bullets over Broadway, and Boys on the Side. In 2005, Parker landed the role of Nancy Botwin in the Showtime series Weeds, and it led to an Emmy Nomination. She is set to star in the sequel to Weeds, Weeds 4.20, which will air on Starz.
Offerman, 50, is widely known for his role as Ron Swanson on the NBC series Parks and Recreation. However, Offerman has been seen in other notable films and TV shows over the years. In 2016, he starred as Richard McDonald, one of the brothers who developed the fast-food chain McDonald’s, in the film The Founder. Last year, Offerman starred alongside Natalie Portman in the film Lucy in the Sky.
Kaepernick, 33, gained national attention when he began to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and social injustice. It led to a national debate, and he hasn’t signed with a new NFL team since the end of the 2016 season.
