Director Spike Lee’s multi-part documentary series for ESPN Films about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick will not be released, the network confirmed Saturday. The decision marks the end of a project once billed as a “full, first-person account” of Kaepernick’s journey.
“ESPN, Colin Kaepernick and Spike Lee have collectively decided to no longer proceed with this project as a result of certain creative differences,” the network told Reuters.
Spike Lee Confirms the Project Is Dead
Speaking Friday at a Los Angeles fundraiser, Lee told reporters the series was finished.
“It’s not coming out. That’s all I can say,” he remarked on the red carpet, adding that he had signed a nondisclosure agreement and could not provide further details.
Kaepernick’s Controversial Legacy
Kaepernick, 37, played for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016 before sparking a national debate by kneeling during the national anthem to protest systemic racism and police brutality. He never played another NFL game after that season — a move critics say was due to politics, not talent.
He later filed a collusion grievance against NFL owners, eventually reaching a confidential settlement with the league in 2019.
Disney-Owned ESPN Backs Out
Production on the series began in 2022, with ESPN heavily promoting the project as a landmark account of Kaepernick’s life and activism. But by late 2024, reports surfaced that disagreements between Lee and Kaepernick over the direction of the film had delayed production.
According to Puck News, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro was even open to allowing the filmmakers to shop the project elsewhere — but now the plug has been pulled entirely.
