ESPN has pulled the plug on its planned Colin Kaepernick docu-series from Spike Lee, citing “creative differences.”
The Oscar-winning director, 68, was tapped in 2022 to direct the multi-part documentary about the retired NFL quarterback. Originally announced in 2020, the series was expected to feature never-before-seen footage from Kaepernick’s archive to provide “a full, first-person account of his journey.”
However, in a Monday statement shared with Variety, the sports network confirmed the project would no longer be moving forward.
“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” the statement said. “Despite not reaching finality, we appreciate all the hard work and collaboration that went into this film.”
Reports of the scrapped project first broke after Lee told Reuters on Friday that the series was no longer in the works.
“It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” the Do the Right Thing director revealed. Asked why that was, he said he couldn’t elaborate because “I signed a nondisclosure [agreement]. I can’t talk about it.”
The decision was apparently made last summer, a source told Variety, and had nothing to do with the football league recently becoming a partial owner of ESPN.
It’s unknown if the Kaepernick documentary has a future elsewhere. The former NFL star, 37, played with the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons from 2011 to 2016. During his final season, he ignited a media firestorm when he protested police brutality against black Americans by taking a knee during the national anthem.
In 2017, he opted out of his contract with the 49ers to become a free agent, but was not signed by another team. That year, he and teammate Eric Reid filed a grievance against the NFL, alleging that team owners were colluding to prevent them from being signed in response to their kneeling. They eventually settled with the league.
Last week, Lee released his newest movie, Highest 2 Lowest. Starring Denzel Washington, rappers A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice, the crime thriller centers on a powerful music mogul who becomes the target of a ransom plot.
The film, which had its world premiere in May at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a hit with critics and currently holds a 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
