ESPN Cancels Spike Lee Colin Kaepernick Documentary Over Creative Differences

Spike Lee's documentary series about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, which was set to air on ESPN, will no longer be released due to creative differences between Lee, Kaepernick, and ESPN. The series aimed to provide a full, first-person account of Kaepernick's journey and his protest against racial injustice, which ignited a national debate in 2016 when he knelt during the U.S. national anthem. Despite the project's potential to explore Kaepernick's activism and its impact, the parties involved could not align on the creative direction, leading to the project's cancellation. Lee declined to provide further details, citing a nondisclosure agreement, and Kaepernick did not comment on the matter. The documentary had been in production since 2022 under ESPN, a Disney-owned network, which expressed appreciation for the work done despite not reaching completion. The cancellation highlights ongoing challenges in portraying politically charged subjects in media collaborations.